Victim was attacked after refusing to hand over car keys, police say

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - Police are searching for a man suspected of stabbing a 39-year-old during an attempted carjacking early Saturday morning in central Las Cruces.

According to police, the victim told investigators he was sitting in his car along the 200 block of East Idaho Avenue shortly after midnight on June 14 when a man approached and demanded his car keys. When the victim refused, the suspect reportedly began stabbing him.

The man was able to flee the vehicle and ran to the nearby Walgreens on El Paseo Road, where police and fire personnel responded to assist. He was later airlifted to a hospital in El Paso with serious injuries.

The suspect is described as an African-American man with a dark complexion, about 5-foot-11 with short hair and a goatee. He was last seen wearing an oversized black hoodie and dark pants. The victim said the man spoke with a Midwest or East Coast accent.

Anyone with information that could help identify the suspect is urged to contact Las Cruces police at 575-526-0795.