The Turlock Police Department has released multiple images of the suspect from the stabbing reported Tuesday, in the hopes he will be identified and located.
The 57-year-old male victim was stabbed in the neck, resulting in a life-threatening injury. He was rushed to a local hospital and from there taken by air ambulance to another hospital where he was taken into surgery. His condition has improved, according to the police department.
The victim has been cooperating with the investigators, but has provided only limited information, said Turlock Police spokesperson Sgt. Russ Holeman.
The incident occurred at 4:40 a.m. Tuesday.
It’s believed the victim and the suspect are acquainted with one another. Surveillance footage shows the two men talking and sitting on a bench behind a business in the 600 block of N. Golden State Boulevard for an extended period of time. Then for some reason, the suspect stabbed the man once in the neck.
The victim ran away from the scene, leaving a trail of blood through parts of downtown. He ran to S. Center Street and Crane and then to a store on Golden State Boulevard, where he asked the clerk to call 911. The man then ran north on S. Golden State Boulevard and was found by the police at the intersection of Golden State Boulevard and Crane Avenue.
Officers were following the trail of blood when they were contacted by a security guard who stated he had found a possible crime scene in the 600 block of N. Golden State Boulevard. Evidence was collected at the scene, but the unspecified weapon was not located.
The security guard told the investigators he had seen two men arguing and that one of them ran away toward Broadway Park.
The suspect is a white male in his 20s, standing about 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with an average build, short brown hair, and a thin beard along his jawline. He has a “full sleeve” tattoo on his left arm and a large tattoo on his right hand. He was wearing light colored jeans, a light-colored button-up shirt and a T-shirt with a large design on the front and the word “Fearless.”
Anyone with information about the stabbing or the suspect is asked to contact Turlock Police Detective Clifford Lewis at 668-6556. Callers can also leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-866-602-7463, www.stancrimetips.org, or the new mobile app P3 Tips for tipping from your phone.
