Santa Rosa police arrest homeless man on suspicion of stabbing another homeless man

Santa Rosa police arrested a 41-year-old homeless man Friday morning on suspicion of stabbing another homeless man who was sleeping in a truck on the east side of Martin Luther King Jr. Park, near the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, according to a news release.

Police said the victim, 51, reported he was sleeping in his Ford Ranger truck when the suspect approached him and stabbed him once on the right side of his stomach, without provocation. The victim’s wound is non-life threatening, police said.

The initial call to police came in shortly after 10 a.m. Friday and officers located the victim in his truck, parked in front of 1205 Petaluma Hill Road. The victim was able to provide a detailed description of the suspect, who was wearing distinctive camouflage clothing and a tiger-striped shirt, police said.

The victim told police that he believed the suspect lived near the park. Using that description, officers went to the park and spotted the suspect, who was later identified as Jaime Tapia-Vasquez, a homeless man who lives in Santa Rosa.

Police said Tapia-Vasquez saw police officers and ran into a nearby trailer parked next to the park.

“When he saw the officers, he ran into a trailer that was not his, and the owner of the trailer said, ‘Hey, some random guy just ran into my trailer,’” said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Travis Dunn.

Dunn said Tapia-Vasquez invoked his rights and refused to speak with police officers. The victim was able to identify the suspect in a lineup and Tapia-Vasquez was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon (non-firearm).

Dunn said the time between the first call to police and the arrest was less than one hour.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.