photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured on Nov. 25, 2025.

A 20-year-old Lawrence man was charged Thursday with three felonies and a misdemeanor after an alleged attempted stabbing Wednesday night at a Lawrence apartment.

The man, Magdiel Villa Martinez, was arrested with the help of a police dog, at an apartment on 26th Street just west of Iowa Street. According to police, a man had called for help after another man hit him and grabbed a knife. The alleged victim said he was able to ward off the attack by the man, whom he knew, and was able to get away with just a cut to his finger.

Officers spent about 30 minutes trying to convince the man to come out but he refused, police said on social media. Lawrence police dog Shadow was eventually sent in on a long leash to gain compliance — “seconds ahead of his handler and other officers.” The man continued to struggle with officers but was taken into custody, then to the hospital for minor injuries, then to jail, police said.

Villa Martinez was charged Thursday with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, felony interference with law enforcement and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, which is listed in the complaint as a keyboard.

Villa Martinez was scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon.