Police: “Mutual combat” between two women in Saturday assault outside bar

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 22-year-old woman stabbed during a bar fight in Chehalis over the weekend has been released from the hospital, but whether she may be in trouble as well remains to be seen.

Lena Castillo, 23, was arrested after the brawl outside Garbe’s and a knife was recovered, but police also have a pair of brass knuckles found in the bathroom where the victim’s wounds were being tended to by friends, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

Chehalis police detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said he doesn’t yet know who they belong to or if they were used in the fight.

Brass knuckles are illegal to possess, but they are commonly sold  as novelty items, as paper weights, Wilson said.

Ashley Stewart, 22, was treated at Providence Centralia Hospital for multiple stab wounds, but is expected to make a full recovery, according to Wilson.

Both females are from Centralia.

Police called about 12:25 a.m. on Saturday to Northwest Chehalis Avenue arrested Castillo for first-degree assault, but Wilson, who continues to investigate, said this morning his information indicated there was mutual “combat.”

It will be up to the prosecutor to determine if Stewart is charged, he said.

Wilson said he’s not yet been able to prove who left the brass knuckles in the restroom.

“It’s a bathroom used by multiple people, it’s a bar bathroom,” he said. “So it’s hard to say at this point.”

Castillo is tentatively scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon.

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4 Responses to “Police: “Mutual combat” between two women in Saturday assault outside bar”

  1. Kari oakie says:

    75,000 bail? Sounds steep compared to some of the bail set for other crimes. If someone approached me and started a fight you can be sure I would defend myself, with a knife or fist or whatever and I wouldn’t stop until I was sure the other person was out of commission. Forget about who the brass knuckles belong to and get down to who threw the first punch. That’s the guilty person.

  2. Lisarae says:

    Why is the person who initiated this confrontation not in jail? Good ole Lewis County. You court people suck so bad~

  3. BobbyinLC says:

    Things sure have changed since I was going out to bars and clubs. Brass knuckles and knives……..yikes!

  4. Justice says:

    I really hope they use the (brass knuckles) as evidence. Everyone who was outside clearly knows that Ashley approached Lena when she was smoking a cigarette and attacked her with the brass knuckles thus causing her to pull out a knife.. Ashley clearly attacked her and the outcome was that she got hurt so why is she acting like a victim when she started it? Blows my mind…. Anyhow I hope she recovers and Lena gets a fair trial..