Dispute between men at Glendale apartments ends in deadly stabbing, suspect arrested: PD
GLENDALE, Ariz. - A man has been arrested following a deadly stabbing late Saturday night at an apartment complex in Glendale.
At around 9:30 p.m. on March 16, Glendale Police officers responded to the area of 67th and Glendale Avenues for a fight.
"Two neighbors got into a dispute and one of the males committed Aggravated Assault, by stabbing the other," police said.
Ismael Mejias IV, 49, was stabbed and was taken to the hospital but died shortly after arriving.
"The suspect was taken into custody and was taken into custody by the Glendale SWAT team. The suspect is currently in custody," police said.
Police identified the suspect as 50-year-old Michael Espinoza Jr. He was booked into jail and is accused of second-degree murder.
Michael Espinoza Jr
The incident was captured on the victim's phone, showing an argument and a struggle, in which Espinoza Jr. is heard on the video saying, "You're dead," court documents said.
During an interview with police, detectives say Espinoza Jr. changed his story several times and initially denied being involved in an argument with the victim. He then said that Mejias came at him with a knife, yelling racial slurs. Espinoza Jr. claimed he took the knife away and threw it.
Espinoza Jr. said he hit Mejias on the chin with the knife handle but denied stabbing anyone.