Woman who stabbed friend in arm at haunted house event told police she thought knife was prop

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A woman who stabbed her friend in the arm at a haunted house event claimed she thought the knife was a prop and that she was playing along with a scene, a police report said.

Tawnya Greenfield, 29, told police she and friends were waiting to enter the Nashville Nightmare haunted house with friends on October 5, when a person she believed to be an employee at the venue, dressed up in character, asked if her friend James Yochim was bothering her.

Believing she was playing along with one of the haunted house's scenarios, she said the person handed her a knife and said: "Well here, stab him," ABC News reported.

Ms Greenfield said she believed the knife was a prop and so plunged the knife into Mr Yochim's left arm.

But she pulled back when she realised there was blood on the knife, and a hole in her friend's shirt from which blood was gushing down the victim's arm.

Officers were called to reports of a stabbing at the venue and the victim was taken to Nashville's Skyline Emergency Hospital.

Mr Yochim gave an interview to USA Today, and said the man who handed his friend the knife was just as surprised it was real.

He said: "Keep in mind, we'd been chased by chainsaws, holding other weapons, all kinds of stuff all night, and it was all fake," he said. "So she stabs at me with it, and everything got really black.

"The thing I remember is the guy who gave it to her kind of freaking out," he said, "saying things like, 'Oh, I didn't know my knife was that sharp. I didn't know. I'm so sorry.'"

Nashville Nightmare medical staff responded immediately to the incident and the company said it is investigating further.

They said in a statement: "As we have continued to review the information, we believe that an employee was involved in some way, and he has been placed on leave until we can determine his involvement.

"We are going over all of our safety protocols with all of our staff again, as the safety and security of all of our patrons is always our main concern."

Police are investigating the case.