THE spectre of knife-crime again raised its ugly head in Wagga, with two hotel security guards lucky to escape serious injury after a 23-year-old man allegedly attacked them with a large blade at the weekend.According to police, the incident began late Friday, when the suspect was ejected from a Baylis Street hotel about 11.30pm because he was intoxicated.The suspect allegedly left the area only to return an hour later, confronting security staff and asking why he was ejected earlier.He was again asked to leave the area by staff and became argumentative, aggressively confronting a staff member by placing his face within centimetres of the guard’s face.Police said the man then lunged at the two staff members and they wrestled him to the ground.The suspect is alleged to have then regained his feet and produced a 34cm, black-handled kitchen knife and attempted to stab a 25-year-old man in the stomach.The tip of the knife made contact with the victim’s stomach, but the impact failed to penetrate his skin.The man then attempted to slash a second guard, aged 20, also making contact but also failing to cause a laceration.Security staff again wrestled the suspect to the ground but he refused to let the knife go and continued to struggle.Eventually the man was disarmed and held until police arrived.The suspect was handcuffed and arrested and the knife recovered.During the struggle the suspect suffered injuries, including bruising and swelling to his left eye.He was treated at Wagga Base Hospital before being released into police custody.He was taken to Wagga Police Station where he was charged with a number of offences including assault, using a weapon to commit an indictable offence, carrying a knife in a public place, and attempting to re-enter a licensed premises.He appeared before bail court on Sunday and was refused bail.He will front Wagga Local Court at a later date.