Felon charged with beating Cabazon man with wood, stabbing him

A felon accused of beating a Cabazon man with a chunk of wood and stabbing him multiple times was charged today with assault with a deadly weapon and other offenses.

Sergio Martinez Gutierrez, 44, was arrested Tuesday following a five-day Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.

Along with the assault count, Gutierrez is charged with a sentence-enhancing allegation of inflicting great bodily injury and engaging in violent conduct posing a "serious danger to society."

The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio, was slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Banning Justice Center.

According to sheriff Sgt. David Greenwalt, the alleged attack occurred in the early morning hours of July 27 in the area of Bonita Avenue and Elm Street in Cabazon.

Greenwalt alleged that Gutierrez got into an argument with the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, culminating in the defendant picking up a "large piece of wood" and striking the man, then stabbing him "multiple times" with a knife.

The ex-con fled as witnesses called 911, according to the sergeant.

The victim was taken to a Coachella Valley trauma center, where he was treated for serious but ultimately non-life-threatening injuries.

Detectives soon identified Gutierrez as the alleged assailant, and on Tuesday, he was located and taken into custody without incident in the same general area where the alleged attack occurred, Greenwalt said.

According to court records, the defendant has prior convictions for firearm assault, gang activity and attempted grand theft.

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