NOVATO — A man was violently attacked over the weekend for no apparent reason. About an hour after the incident, police arrested a man on suspicion of stabbing another man who had just finished parking his car.
The stabbing victim suffered minor injuries, described by police as non life threatening. However, the victim was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
This apparently unprovoked attack occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on November 24th. It happened in a residential neighborhood near South Novato Boulevard, not far from downtown.
The victim and suspect do not know each other, and police are unaware of any potential motive for the attack. The suspect stabbed the victim once and then fled from the area.
Shortly after the attack, police received a report of a suspicious man walking nearby. The caller became suspicious because the man was wearing little clothing, despite chilly damp weather that night.
The same man matched the descriptions that witnesses of the attack provided to the police. Responding officers located the man and detained him after a brief foot chase.
Witnesses positively identified the suspect. The man identified as Diego Menendez-Magana, 20 of Novato, was subsequently arrested.
Menendez-Magana was booked at Marin County Jail, where he remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bond. His charges include assault with a deadly weapon.
In addition, he faces three additional open charges, including being under the influence of a controlled substance, obstructing an officer, and providing false identification to an officer.
Menendez-Magana is scheduled to appear for a plea hearing on November 29 at Marin County Superior Court.
