A fist fight that turned into a knife fight claimed the life of a Turlock man and saw the arrest of a Merced man for manslaughter.

Police officers responding to a 911 call on Mary Ann Drive in Atwater Wednesday evening found two men both suffering from multiple stab wounds, said Atwater Police Chief Richard Hawthorne. 

According to Hawthorne, Eric Gutierrez, 33, of Turlock, and Manuel Lara, 26, of Merced, started fighting at the residence of a woman they had both dated in the past. The woman was not at home during the fight. The fight, which began with fists, turned deadly when one of the men introduced a knife.

Gutierrez died at the hospital. Lara was treated for his wounds and then booked into jail on manslaughter charges.

Police are still investigating the circumstances of the stabbing.

Gutierrez was the third person killed in Atwater in the past eight days. Pedro Serna shot his wife and then killed himself less than two hours after being bailed out of jail on domestic violence charges on May 7.