(KRON) — A California father who allegedly stabbed an acquaintance in the face multiple times Monday while his two children looked on turned himself in, the Petaluma Police Department said. Officers were dispatched to the Round Walk Village Apartment Complex at 8:23 p.m. Monday in response to a domestic disturbance in which a man had been stabbed in the face.
Arriving on the scene, officers located a man with “significant stab wounds to his face and other parts of his body,” police said. Officers secured the scene and requested medical aid for the victim. Petaluma Fire Department medics responded.
The victim was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and the suspect, 37-year-old Rohnert Park resident Juan Martinez-Montano, knew each other and had engaged in a physical altercation. The altercation escalated and Martinez-Montano assaulted the victim with a knife, resulting in the mentioned injuries.
Officers also learned that during the stabbing, the suspect’s two young children were in his vehicle and witnessed the assault. Martinez-Montano fled the scene on foot, leaving his children in the car, while still in possession of the knife.
Police established a large perimeter and requested assistance from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s helicopter, “Henry 1,” and the Cotati Police Department’s tracking bloodhound, “Dolly.” Despite an extensive search, Martinez-Montano was not located.
Petaluma PD Investigations Unit detectives took over the investigation. The scene was processed for evidence and an arrest warrant was obtained for Martinez-Morano.
On Tuesday at approximately 12:25 a.m., the suspect arrived at the Petaluma Police Department and turned himself in, police said. He was arrested without incident and admitted to the assault. Detectives canvassed the area and located the knife, which Martinez-Montano had discarded.
He was transported and booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment.