Stabbing at Scottsdale's Playa Bar ends with 4 injured, PD says

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Four people were stabbed at a Scottsdale bar early Saturday morning, the police department said.

The stabbing broke out at the Playa Bar near McDowell and Granite Reef Roads just after 1 a.m. on Feb. 24.

Four people – two customers and two security guards – were stabbed. Their injuries range from minor to serious, police say.

They haven't been identified, but police say the victims are all adults whose injuries aren't life-threatening.

As for the suspect, police say 42-year-old Joseph Eschief was arrested but was first treated at the hospital as he was hit on the head with a barstool during the altercation.

He's since been booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated assault causing serious physical injury and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

"Two other adults were arrested for fighting and disorderly conduct related to the incident," police said, clarifying they are not in trouble for the alleged stabbings. They're identified as 27-year-old Antonio Eschief and 46-year-old Selena Dewey.

Police didn't say what led up to the violence.

‘We’ve never seen these people’

The owner, Michael Cuneo, says the Playa Bar is known to be a local hole-in-the-wall spot, but things looked a little different that night.

"We’ve never seen these people before. They're not our customers and none of our customers knew them," he said.

Cuneo, who has owned the bar for nearly three decades, says Eschief came in with the two others and sat at a table for a while before his attack.

"He had a knife in his hand. He reached behind the person, trying to stab him in the back of the head," Cuneo claimed.

The bar owner says the gentleman next to him stepped in and was also stabbed. That’s when bar security got involved.

"The guy stabbed him 'cause the blood was dripping in his eye. At that point, he turned the barstool around and swung it and knocked the guy to the ground," Cuneo said.

Cueno is thankful for everyone's swift reaction.

"They didn’t flinch from the knife. They just tried to prevent the guy from stabbing anyone else," he said. "They did an admirable job."

Map of where the incident happened: