A Lancaster city police detective testified at a recent hearing that a 73-year-old man was shoved to the floor and repeatedly stabbed in the back – after asking an intruder to leave a South Prince Street apartment building.

The victim sustained a collapsed lung in the March 3 attack and survived after emergency surgery at a local hospital.

Kawan Watts, 26, was identified as the intruder and attacker, according to testimony from Detective Ryan Burgett.

First Deputy District Attorney Travis S. Anderson presented testimony last week at a preliminary hearing when all parties appeared via video conference.

Watts refused to leave his prison cell to attend the hearing (remotely), so District Judge Adam Witkonis ordered the hearing be held without Watts, according to FDDA Anderson.

After hearing testimony on April 14, District Judge Witkonis ordered Watts be tried in Lancaster County Court on counts of attempted homicide, burglary, terroristic threats and possessing an instrument of crime.

Watts is presumed innocent. He is at Lancaster County Prison on $1 million bail.

The victim was visiting an acquaintance in the 100 block of South Prince Street on March 3, when Watts entered the apartment building uninvited.

When the victim asked Watts to leave, Watts attacked, pushing the victim into a refrigerator, then to the floor, where he was stabbed in the back.

During the attack, Watts told the victim, “I’m going to kill you,” according to Detective Burgett.

MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright