James Tiani

A Butler man was arrested after alledgedly pulling a knife on a couple Sunday night in the city, authorities said. No one was injured in the incident.

It's not the first time Butler police charged James J. Tiani, who goes by the nickname “Jimmy the Knife,” with wielding a knife. He is already awaiting trial on charges he pulled a knife on a city man last year. No one was injured in that incident either.

In the latest case, police said Tiani, 60, brandished a knife at a 38-year-old man and 29-year-old woman about 9:50 p.m. Sunday on the 300 block of West Jefferson Street.

According to charging documents, the victims told officers they were talking to a friend when they saw the defendant in the middle of Chestnut Street walking toward them. They asked if he needed anything.

Tiani did not answer initially. When the alleged victims asked a second time, police said Tiani reached into a pocket and pulled out a knife saying “Go ahead and try something.”

Documents noted that the couple was afraid Tiani was going to use the knife on them.

Police later found the defendant. A pat-down search turned up a fixed-blade knife in one of his pockets, and officers suspected he was intoxicated.

“Tiani could not state a legitimate reason why he pulled the knife on the victims,” according to charging documents.

He was arraigned Monday on a felony charge of aggravated assault and a summary charge of public drunkenness. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Online court records did not list an attorney for him and he could not be reached for comment.

Tiani is currently awaiting trial on charges of terroristic threats and simple assault, and harassment stemming from a June 2018 arrest. In that case, a man told authorities he was walking home from a convenience store on East Jefferson Street when Tiani approached him and allegedly yelled an obscenity and used a racial epithet. Tiani also allegedly threatened to beat up the man, who is black, and then pulled out a pocket knife, according to the police affidavit.