NORTHAMPTON, Mass. —  A former University of Massachusetts student accused of stabbing two men he says broke his dorm room window and taunted him with racial insults has been indicted on charges less serious than he originally faced.

Jason Vassell was indicted Tuesday by a Hampshire Superior Court grand jury on two counts of aggravated assault by means of a dangerous weapon.

Vassell, who has withdrawn from school since the Feb. 3 incident, pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned earlier this month on charges of armed assault with intent to murder.

Some faculty members and students have rallied around the 23-year-old. They say Vassell, who is black, reacted in self defense when he felt threatened by two white men. Only one of those men faces charges.

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