Man arrested in South Lake Tahoe after allegedly stabbing roommate

Submitted by paula on Tue, 05/29/2018 - 8:12pm

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One man is behind bars and another at Renown Medical Center with life threatening injuries after an altercation Monday between roommates at a Stateline area motel.

At 12:30 p.m. on May 28, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) responded to a report of a stabbing at the Mark Twain Motel at 947 Park Avenue. Upon arrival they found a 23-year-old man who had recently moved to South Lake Tahoe with numerous life threatening wounds to his head and leg.

Responding officers applied tourniquets to the victim’s injuries in an attempt to get the bleeding under control. The victim was taken to Renown Medical center via medical helicopter where he is currently in stable condition.

The suspect in the crime, 45-year-old Edmundo Martinez, fled the scene as SLTPD officers arrived but was quickly apprehended. Prior to being booked on assault with a deadly weapon charges Martinez was taken to Barton Memorial Hospital with lacerations he received during the assault.

Both the victim and the suspect had recently moved to South Lake Tahoe from Las Vegas to take a job with a cleaning service that contracts with Harrahs and Harvey's casinos. SLTPD detectives learned that neither man knew the other before arriving but were placed at the motel as roommates.

On the day of the assault, Martinez had been consuming alcohol and got into an argument with the victim and it progressed into a physical altercation when Martinez pulled what appeared to be a kitchen paring knife that he had concealed on his person and allegedly started stabbing the victim numerous times.

Martinez was booked into El Dorado County Jail with bail currently set at $25,000. He is still in custody as of 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 29.

SLTPD has expressed their gratitude to their partner agencies: El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, El Dorado County DA’s office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol for responding to assist in securing this scene and locating the suspect.