Santa Rosa police release description of suspect wanted in Lola’s Market stabbing

Santa Rosa police on Wednesday released a detailed description of a suspect wanted in the unprovoked stabbing at Lola’s Market in Santa Rosa last week.

The attack, in the cafe of the Dutton Avenue market, resulted in life-threatening injuries for the victim, a 61-year-old man who was stabbed in the neck.

Police described the suspect as being a Latino man between the ages of 30 and 40, approximately ?5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing between 160 and 180 pounds. He has short, black hair and possibly a mustache. At the time of the stabbing, he was wearing “long, black shoes” with a “shiny or different colored tip,” a dark puffy jacket with a hood lined in white fabric.

Witnesses told investigators they believe the man lives in the area of the market, on the?400 block of Dutton Avenue. He may work in landscaping, police said, and has distinctive tattoos, including a large one on his forearm depicting the grim reaper, commonly referred to as La Santa Muerte.

Video of the suspect can be seen at youtu.be/lsD5xhtrJZU.

Police say that on Dec. 21, just before 6:30 p.m., the man got up from a table at Lola’s restaurant and, without having spoken to the victim, stabbed the man in the neck before fleeing on foot. The two did not know each other, police said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. A call to the Santa Rosa Police Department about the status of the victim on Wednesday was not returned.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department’s Violent Crimes Team at 707-543-3590. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance “Take Back Our Community Program” for information leading to the arrest of the suspect involved in the stabbing.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.