Man stabbed at Tempe IKEA store in critical condition, police say
Arrest made in Tempe stabbing incident
Police say a stabbing suspect was heading to California when he was arrested in Quartzsite after stabbing a co-worker.
TEMPE, Ariz. - An investigation is underway after a stabbing happened at an IKEA store near Priest Drive and Elliot Road on March 1.
What we know:
Police were called to the IKEA parking lot after a man ran from the store, saying he was stabbed and needed help.
What they're saying:
"Officers arrived on scene and learned the man spoke another language and had trouble communicating initially. Eventually officers were able to learn from the man that he was stabbed by a co-worker," said Tempe Police in a statement provided at 11:52 a.m. to FOX 10.
Police said the victim spoke Russian and obtaining initial information was difficult at first.
Dig deeper:
Tempe Police eventually learned the victim and suspect were third-party contractors. The contractor told police the name of the suspect was Francisco Javier Gutierrez.
Gutierrez was located and taken into custody in Quartzsite, possibly headed to California, police said in a release.
Francisco Gutierrez
"Mr. Gutierrez was booked into jail for the following charges: one count Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, a class 3 felony, one count Tampering with Evidence, a class 6 felony, one count Interfering with Judicial Proceedings, a class 1 misdemeanor. We would like to express our gratitude to the public for their assistance, and to the Department of Public Safety for their help in successfully apprehending Mr. Gutierrez. The Tempe Police Department remains committed to ensuring the safety of our community and holding those responsible for violence accountable," police said in a release.
Just before 5:25 p.m. on March 1, IKEA US released a statement to FOX 10:
"The safety of IKEA customers and co-workers is always our highest priority. This afternoon, an incident occurred involving two employees of a third-party contractor at our IKEA Tempe store. No IKEA co-workers or customers were involved or harmed in this incident. IKEA is cooperating with the Tempe Police Department. As this is an active investigation, we cannot comment further, and inquiries should be directed to the Tempe Police Department."