Stabbing suspect hid in car trunk before ambushing victim, authorities say

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Two people are facing assault charges after investigators say they ambushed and attacked a man during a car ride west of Sioux Falls.

Twenty-four-year-old Allen Smith and 31-year-old KrystalAnn Rice face a litany of charges, including robbery and aggravated assault.

The assault took place Friday morning on Highway 38 between Sioux Falls and Hartford, according to Capt. Josh Phillips of the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office.

Rice was giving a ride to the victim, who Phillips described as a man in his mid-30s, when she stopped at an intersection, saying there was something wrong with the car.

Phillips said Smith, who had been hiding in the trunk of the car, jumped out and attacked the victim. Smith pulled him out of the car, hit him with a baseball bat, and stabbed him once or twice. The suspects then left the scene.

The victim was able to make it to a nearby house, where a resident alerted authorities about the stabbing. Phillips said the victim was able to identify the suspects before he was taken to a hospital. He is now in stable condition.

Deputies soon tracked Smith and Rice down and arrested them. They are both charged with first-degree robbery, aggravated assault, and various drug-related offenses. Rice is also charged with abuse to a minor.