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Police: Man used sword hidden in cane during parking lot fight in Armstrong Co.

ARMSTRONG COUNTY, Pa. — Investigators said a man was stabbed in the leg with a sword during a fight over a parking spot Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of the Hilltop Plaza near Kittanning.

East Franklin police Officer Robert Gahagan said police were called to the parking area near Walmart just after 5 p.m. when a man in his 30s was involved in a “physical altercation” with a man in his mid-50s.

During the fight, the older man pulled a sword that was hidden inside his cane and stabbed the other man, Gahagan said. The wounded 30-year-old man was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland.

Officers are consulting with the Armstrong County District Attorney‘s Office to determine what charges are warranted, Gahagan said.

Authorities told Channel 11’s Brandon Hudson that charges will likely be filed against both men. Names of the men won‘t be released until charges are filed.

Shoppers using the parking lot on Friday were alarmed to hear what had happened the day before.

“It’s kind of alarming because I come here by myself and I have small children,” Jennifer Hogenmiller said.

Hogenmiller said she was in the parking lot 30 minutes before the fight, but didn’t hear about it until she got home.

“I really don’t think there’s a winning side. You should respect your elders, and you should respect people in general,” Hogenmiller said.

Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.