The Bowling Green Police Department (BGPD) is asking the community to be on the lookout for 20-year-old Marcus Ruiz, of Toledo, who is accused of stabbing another man outside Liquid Bar early Sunday morning.

According to a police report, officers responded to the downtown Bowling Green bar around 1:22 a.m. Court records show the perpetrator has been charged with felonious assault in relation to the incident.

Students and Bowling Green community members have reacted to the incident, with some saying they no longer feel comfortable being downtown anymore. First year criminal justice major Alexa Massey said downtown was really never her scene, but after this incident, she will be extra wary of downtown activity.

“I don’t feel entirely safe, but I didn’t feel safe to begin with,” Massey said. “I, of course, knew of these sorts of dangers facing college students.”

Other students said incidents like this won’t stop them from going downtown. Madison Schroer, a senior education major, said there is power in numbers and students shouldn’t be afraid to have fun.

“I feel like as long as you’re with your friends and you kind of have your whereabouts about you, I feel like you’re fine,” Schroer said.

In a statement to BG Falcon Media, Lt. Adam Skaff with the Bowling Green Police Division said BG officers are hard at work to keep the community safe and most issues like these come from outside the community. 

“For…students, I think it is important to note that both the suspect and victim in this incident are not Bowling Green residents or students and were familiar with each other before this incident.  Our agency immediately dedicated resources to ensure that the suspect in this case was identified and efforts to locate him are on-going,” Skaff said. “The suspect has been charged, and a warrant has been issued.  When people come to Bowling Green and try to disrupt the sense of safety of our residents, we will do what is necessary to ensure justice is served.”

Anyone with information on Ruiz’s whereabouts is asked to contact BGPD at 419-352-1131.