Cops: Gang member stabbed during West Main Street altercation
Philippe Robinette
An Ohio man was arrested Monday after police said he stabbed an alleged gang member who had baited him into a confrontation on Main Street, Riverhead Police said.
Philippe Robinette, 26, of Akron, Ohio stabbed 30-year-old Riverhead resident Brian Castillo three times at around 1 p.m. Monday after Mr. Castillo, a self-professed Latin King gang member, confronted Mr. Robinette, whom he believed to be a member of a rival gang, police said.
What started as a verbal altercation outside the Seafield Center substance abuse center, with Mr. Castillo cursing at Mr. Robinette, quickly turned into a physical struggle in the middle of the road, according to police. It was unclear to police who first pulled out the knife.
“There was just a lot of cops,” said an employee at the nearby Lighthouse Insurance agency. “We seen a stretcher go out,” added a colleague.
Police said Mr. Robinette attempted to flee the scene by foot, but was apprehended a short time later. He is being held on $50,000 bail, police said.
Mr. Castillo was treated and released from Peconic Bay Medical Center. He has not been charged for his role in the incident, police said.
