Suspect is arrested in stabbing

Victim suffered cuts to back of his head and left arm

One man was recovering from a serious stab wound and another was behind bars following a fight Sunday night in San Mateo, according to authorities.

The fight was reported around 10:30 p.m. in the 400 block of South Norfolk Street. In a statement, the San Mateo Police Department said officers arrived to find the victim “bleeding profusely from his left arm” and the suspect holding a utility knife.

Police said the suspect tossed the utility knife to the ground and complied with the officers' orders to move away from the victim, police said. The suspect then was handcuffed.

Officers examined the victim's injuries, which included two minor cuts to the back of his head and a 6-inch cut to his arm. Officers applied a tourniquet to the victim's arm because of the “massive amount of blood pouring” from the wound, police said. The victim then was taken to an area hospital for additional medical care.

An investigation revealed the victim and the suspect, identified as 51-year-old San Mateo resident Jose Cortez Rodriguez, had been drinking together earlier in the night, police said.

The victim told officers

Rodriguez suddenly attacked him, brandished a knife and threatened to cut his throat. He suffered the cut to his arm when he raised his arms to guard his neck.

Police said the victim ran into a nearby store and asked an employee to call the police.

Rodriguez was booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City on a charge of attempted murder. He was being held without bail, according to jail records.