Man stabbed on Walton Street, suspect arrested after foot chase

Downtown Syracuse was jolted again by an early-morning stabbing on Walton Street, this time in the 100 block near Armory Square, where police say a 33-year-old man was wounded and a suspect was caught after running away.

Officers responded at about 3:22 a.m. Sunday, May 17, to a report of a stabbing on Walton Street. They found the 33-year-old man with an apparent stab wound to the hip area, according to police. Emergency medical providers treated him at the scene, and authorities said his injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old Duane A. Baxter. Investigators said Baxter fled the area but was apprehended shortly afterward following a brief foot chase. He was taken to the Onondaga County Justice Center and faces charges of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree assault and second-degree menacing.

The incident landed in a part of downtown Syracuse that stays busy with late-night bar traffic, apartment residents, service workers and weekend visitors, making even a single violent episode feel immediate to people who live and work nearby. Walton Street, especially around Armory Square, is one of the corridors where early-morning safety is a constant concern because the mix of nightlife and residential activity keeps foot traffic moving even after bar close.

The Syracuse Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is asking anyone with information to call (315) 442-5222. The response also comes against a backdrop of other stabbing-related police releases in the city, including a downtown and Armory Square stabbing on March 20, 2025 and multiple stabbing-related releases in October 2024. Syracuse.com’s reported-crimes database, which includes reported crimes from January 2018 to the present, shows how often the city has had to track incidents like this across Onondaga County.

For downtown Syracuse, the latest arrest is a reminder that the stretch around Walton Street remains a place where an overnight incident can quickly spill into public concern, especially in the hours when the sidewalks are thinner and the consequences of violence are easier to see.