Santa Rosa police arrest suspect in stabbing attack on homeless man
SANTA ROSA -- A man experiencing homelessness was stabbed while sleeping in his truck near Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Santa Rosa Friday and a suspect has been arrested, police said.
Just after 10 a.m. Friday, police received what they described as a second-hand call about a stabbing victim in front of 1205 Petaluma Hill Road.
Officers responded and located the stabbing victim, a 51-year-old man who was sitting in his Ford Ranger truck, according to police.
The man had a stab wound on the right side of his stomach near his ribs, police said.
The victim gave a description and location for the man who stabbed him, describing the suspect as a man 40-50 years old, wearing camouflage clothing and a shirt with tiger stripes and living near the park, police said. The victim said the suspect stabbed him without provocation.
Officers went to Martin Luther King Jr. Park and found a man whose clothing and age range matched the description, according to police. The suspect fled into a nearby trailer park, police said.
The officers prepared a six-person photo lineup containing a photo of the suspect and the victim identified the suspect in the lineup, according to police.
Police arrested Jaime Tapia-Vasquez. a 41-year-old Santa Rosa man described by police as experiencing homelessness, on suspicion of the stabbing. The man was booked into the Sonoma County jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
The suspect refused to speak with officers and police don't know the motive for the stabbing, according to police.
