Foot chase ends in arrest of Santa Rosa stabbing suspect

A homeless Santa Rosa man suspected of trying to kill another homeless man Monday by stabbing him in the chest was arrested after a brief foot chase by police, authorities reported.

The victim, Joe Bob Liles, 50, suffered a life-threatening wound and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Santa Rosa Sgt. Dave Linscomb said.

A Sonoma County sheriff’s sergeant helping out on the call spotted suspect Wade Pound Temple, 48, and took the man into custody after a chase on the Santa Rosa creek path, Linscomb said.

The stabbing occurred just after 5 p.m. on a sidewalk near the intersection of Dutton Avenue and West Third Street.

Officers called to a possible stabbing and found the severely injured man on the sidewalk.

Detectives were investigating reports that Temple had been at a nearby market prior to the violence and that he may have been creating a disturbance with customers. After leaving the store he walked across the street and got into a confrontation with Liles, Linscomb said.

What the confrontation was about and whether the men know each other wasn’t clear, Linscomb said.

Witnesses told police the altercation was quick and that the suspect walked away afterward, heading to nearby Hull Street.

The sheriff’s sergeant, who was working in the area, joined the search. Witnesses told him the suspect had jumped a fence, headed onto the creek path, Linscomb said.

Temple apparently saw the sergeant and ran, but was soon taken into custody. Police haven’t found a weapon.

Temple was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide and booked into the Sonoma County Jail. He remained in custody Tuesday with bail set at $1 million. He was due to appear in court Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Court documents show his criminal history includes a felony burglary conviction in 2012 and a two-year prison sentence. He also was convicted in 2009 of a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charge.

Santa Rosa police asked anyone with information about the stabbing to call Santa Rosa detectives at 543-3590.