Stabbing leaves one man wounded, one in custody

An argument between two men who were believed to be homeless ended with one stabbing the other in his head and back Monday morning in El Cajon, police said.

It happened about 11 a.m. on East Main Street near Ballantyne Street, across from the East County Regional Center that houses El Cajon City Hall and the El Cajon courthouse, according to police Lt. Nick Sprecco.

“The victim and suspect know each other, from living on the streets, and were involved in an argument over a debt,” Sprecco said in a news release.

After the stabbing, paramedics took the victim, described only as a man, to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not expected to be life-threatening, Sprecco said.

Witnesses helped officers identify and detain a suspect near the scene, according to Sprecco, who said the 52-year-old “was in possession of a folding pocket knife believed to be the weapon used in this incident.”

Officers arrested the man on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Sprecco said. Jail records showed he was booked into San Diego Central Jail, where he was held in custody without bail Monday afternoon on suspicion of attempted murder.