Bar fight ends in stabbing

SANTA PAULA — A favorite watering hole of area locals, Sancho’s Bar in Santa Paula is, according to nearby business owners, usually a peaceful gathering place where problems are limited to the occasional arrest for being drunk in public.

But as “last call” was about to be announced by the bartender late Friday night, a violent fight between patrons and quickly escalated into a life-threatening stabbing.

Santa Paula patrol units responded to the report of a violent confrontation at the bar at 132 W. Harvard Boulevard to discover a man fleeing from the scene on foot. The suspect, Santa Paula resident Lazaro Rodriguez, was promptly apprehended and booked in connection with the stabbing of a 43-year-old man who was critically injured.

The victim remains in serious condition at Ventura County Medical Center. Rodriguez faces a felony count of attempted murder, an additional count of driving without a license, and is currently being held at Ventura County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.