Santa Rosa man attacks coworker with a hatchet at Healdsburg construction site, Sheriff’s Office says

A Santa Rosa man was arrested after a fight involving a hatchet in which he struck his coworker in the neck area, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

A fight broke out between Emanuel Gudino, 19, and his unidentified 40-year-old coworker around 3 p.m. Wednesday in Healdsburg over whether Gudino took his coworker’s truck in the middle of a work day without permission, authorities said. The two had been working construction jobs together for several years and never had an altercation before, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Gudino took the coworker’s truck to fill it with gas at the Valero gas station in Healdsburg, but was unable to pay for the transaction after trying to use counterfeit cash.

Gudino later told deputies that the counterfeit money was given to him by someone else and that he did not know it was fake, authorities said.

Gudino then called his coworker to meet him at the gas station so they could pay.

After arriving back at the construction site, a home on Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg, the two started arguing about what happened at the Valero gas station.

As the argument escalated, Gudino reached into his coworker’s truck and pulled out a 6-inch hatchet and began threatening him with it, the Sheriff’s Office said.

As Gudino’s coworker tried to wrestle the hatchet away, deputies said they fell to the ground struggling for possession.

The coworker was treated for a minor cut behind his ear and Gudino was taken to a local hospital because said he was experiencing chest pain, the Sheriff’s Office said.

After he was released, Gudino was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, threats and vandalism, authorities said.

Gudino is being held without bail in Sonoma County Jail since he violated the terms of his probation on a prior burglary case.

You can reach Staff Writer Alexandria Bordas at 707-521-5337 or alexandria.bordas@pressdemocrat.com.