Police have identified a San Diego man who died earlier this month after being stabbed during a fight with a couple at a trolley station in the Palm City community.
San Diego Police Department Lt. Andra Brown said the victim who was stabbed was George Lara, 43. He died on Oct. 5, three days after the stabbing.
According to Brown, the deadly fight happened at around 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the Palm Trolley Station at 2300 Palm Ave. Police dispatchers got several phone calls reporting a stabbing at the trolley station.
When officers arrived, they found Lara suffering from stab wounds to his torso. He was “bleeding profusely,” the SDPD said.
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Officers tried to stop the bleeding while paramedics arrived. Lara was taken to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, but he did not make it.
The SDPD said the stabbing suspect – Jose Rangel-Alvarez, 20 – and a woman he was with, Norma Marquez, 19, were found a short distance away from the trolley station. Rangel-Alvarez was arrested for attempted murder, while Marquez was arrested for other charges not related to the stabbing.
Brown said the preliminary investigation revealed that Lara and his wife were at the Palm Trolley station when they got into some sort of “altercation” with Rangel-Alvarez and Marquez. During the encounter, Lara was stabbed, and Rangel-Alvarez and Marquez ran south, where they were soon found by officers.
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With Lara’s death, Brown said Rangel-Alvarez is now facing a charge of first-degree murder. The suspect was booked into San Diego Central Jail; his next appearance in court is set for Oct. 27.
The investigation is ongoing and SDPD homicide detectives are now handling the case.
Detectives are still looking for witnesses. Anyone with details on this case can call the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
