A 77-year-old Estancia man was arrested Saturday after allegedly stabbing another man with a pocket knife during a street confrontation, according to a criminal complaint filed in Torrance County Magistrate Court.
Police responded to a call at approximately 5:30 p.m. Nov. 15 after the defendant reported he had been attacked by an ex-girlfriend’s son and had lost his glass eye during the encounter.
Upon arrival, officers found the defendant with visible injuries to his right eye area, including what appeared to be a missing eye and blood. Medical personnel were called to the scene, but the defendant refused medical attention, according to the complaint.
The defendant told officers that while parking his truck, he was approached by someone who pushed him to the ground and kicked him in the head several times.
Officers then went to a residence on Gatson Street to contact the other party involved. A woman came outside and identified herself as the alleged attacker’s mother. She told police she had a previous romantic relationship with the defendant and agreed to have her son speak with officers.
The son told police the defendant had harassed him by yelling profanities as he drove past the residence. He said he became agitated by the comments and approached the defendant in the street, according to the complaint.
The son recorded the encounter on his cellphone and provided a copy to officers. The video shows the son approaching the defendant and exchanging words. During the exchange, the defendant can be seen opening a small pocket knife, at which point the son says “pull something,” and the defendant stabs toward him, police said.
According to the complaint, the son blocked the stab and sustained a cut to his hand. The son then appears to strike the defendant in the head, causing him to fall. The defendant says “Ok, Ok” and the physical altercation ends, police said.
The defendant was charged with aggravated battery, a third-degree felony under New Mexico law. The charge alleges he inflicted great bodily harm with a deadly weapon.