Santa Rosa police seeking suspect in alleged unprovoked stabbing last week

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (BCN) - Santa Rosa police today are asking for help in finding the suspect in a stabbing that occurred last Thursday and left a 61-year-old man with life-threatening injuries.

Detectives from the Violent Crimes Investigations team have continued to develop leads, examine evidence and conduct interviews in an attempt to make sense of Thursday's unprovoked attack. Today they released surveillance photos of the suspect in hopes that someone may provide information about his whereabouts.

The suspect is described as a 5 feet 6 inches Hispanic man between the ages of 30-40. He weighs about 160-180 lbs and has black, short hair and possibly a mustache.

He was last seen wearing a dark, puffy jacket with a hood having white on the inside of the hood. He also wore black shoes with a shiny or different colored tip, police said.

Investigators believe the suspect has a large tattoo on one of his forearms of the Grim Reaper, commonly referred to as La Santa Muerte. They also believe the suspect may reside in the area and possible works in landscaping.

The incident began Thursday at about 6:26 p.m., when officers responded to a report of a stabbing at Lola's Market at 440 Dutton Ave.

The victim and the suspect had been sitting at different tables and had not spoken to each other. The suspect then allegedly came up to the victim, stabbed him in the neck and fled on foot.

At the time, the victim was transported to the hospital with a life-threatening injury. Police did not provide information about the victim's condition as of today.

The Sonoma County Alliance Take Back Our Community Program is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Rosa Police Department Violent Crimes team at (707) 528-5222.