Juan Alberto Mendiola (Courtesy photo: Brownsville PD)
A man accused of stabbing his common-law wife is in the hospital after he was struck in the head by a concerned citizen who saw the attack on the woman and tried to stop it, Brownsville police said.
Juan Alberto Mendiola, 45, was taken into custody Friday by the Brownsville Police Department’s Patrol Division at Valley Regional Medical Center on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (family violence), said Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for Brownsville police.
Sandoval said Mendiola and his common-law wife were driving down Esperanza Street at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday when they got into a verbal argument. The woman jumped out of the moving car and started running away.
Mendiola also got out of the black Chevrolet Impala they were riding in and started to chase her. He managed to catch up with her and knocked her down, Sandoval said. “Mendiola then started to stab the victim with a knife multiple times.”
Several concerned citizens saw this and one managed to “strike Mendiola with a blunt object,” which caused Mendiola to stop the assault, Sandoval said. He took off running.
Sandoval said police received information at about 12 a.m. Friday that Mendiola was at the hospital with head trauma. He is currently being treated by medical personnel.
His common-law wife also remains hospitalized recovering from her injuries.
Sandoval said the case is still ongoing pending the medical release of Mendiola.
