SLO stabbing leads to arrest
Harley Finney
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A 27-year-old Atascadero man was arrested on Friday in connection with a stabbing three days prior in San Luis Obispo of a 19-year-old man, said San Luis Obispo Police Department officials.
On July 20 at 9 p.m., police responded to reports of an assault on the 600 block of Higuera Street, according to a San Luis Obispo Police Department press release.
A police investigation revealed that Chad Robinson, 19, of San Luis Obispo was walking along a path toward the rear of a property when two men confronted him.
One suspect stabbed Robinson with a knife in the left arm and left torso, police Sgt. Keith Storton said. After Robinson fell to the ground to protect himself, the other man began kicking him in the head and body.
Robinson was transported by ambulance to Sierra Vista Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, where he is recovering from non-life threatening injuries, police said.
An investigation led police to identifying Harley Paul Finney, 27, of Atascadero, as one of the assailants.
It’s suspected that Finney is the man who stabbed Robinson, said police Lt. Tom DePriest.
A motive for the attack has not been determined.
“We’re still not sure,” DePriest said. “We’re trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.”
On July 23 at about 12:20 p.m., Finney was arrested without incident at his home on the 7500 block of Marchant Street in Atascadero.
A search of his home revealed additional evidence to assist detectives in the investigation, police said. But detectives have been unable to identify the second suspect.
“We still don’t have enough information,” DePriest said.
Finney was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with no bail.
The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to contact the San Luis Obispo Police Department at (805) 781-7317.
