San Antonio police accuse Hector Garcia Martinez of stabbing a friend on Halloween during a dispute involving his girlfriend.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio man has been accused of stabbing a longtime friend during a violent altercation on Halloween, according to an affidavit.
The affidavit alleges that Hector Garcia Martinez, 41, stabbed Anthony Howard Martinez, 36, during a confrontation on October 31 at a home on the 300 block of Torreon Street in Bexar County. Martinez is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony.
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Police responded to a “cutting in progress” call at the residence and found the victim suffering from a stab wound to his upper left abdomen. He was taken to University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a lacerated diaphragm and multiple fractured ribs, the document states.
The victim initially declined to make a full statement but later told investigators that the suspect — a close friend — forced his way into the home through a barricaded window while armed with an edged weapon, according to the affidavit.
The incident began after the suspect and his girlfriend had been in an earlier altercation elsewhere, arrest papers say. The girlfriend reportedly returned to the victim’s home with visible injuries and asked him not to tell the suspect where she was.
When the suspect arrived and was denied entry, he allegedly broke in, prompting the victim to use pepper spray in self-defense before fleeing out the front door. The suspect then followed and stabbed him outside, police said.
Investigators later interviewed a witness, identified as the victim’s significant other, who reportedly confirmed the sequence of events and also identified the suspect from a photo lineup.
The affidavit states that the suspect has continued returning to the residence since the incident and is considered “a continued threat to the occupants of the home.”