Man with Knife Allegedly Attacks in Yucaipa, One Victim Undergoes Surgery

A man with a knife allegedly attacked a victim at a home in Yucaipa, striking him several times with the weapon, and deputies were looking for him Monday.

The unidentified victim underwent surgery and he was listed in stable condition, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The alleged attack occurred about 2:30 p.m. Sunday Sept. 23 when Joaquin "Jack" Lucan Ortega, 31, of San Bernardino, drove up to a residence in the 34000 block of Avenue H, Detective D. Whitten of the sheriff's Yucaipa Station said in a statement.

Ortega parked his vehicle in front of the home, facing the wrong direction, Whitten said. The victims noticed the vehicle and one of them approached to see who was in it.

"Ortega got out of the vehicle with a knife and charged at the victim," Whitten said. "The first victim was able to get away from Ortega. The second victim ran to help his friend and Ortega attacked him, striking him several times with the knife. Ortega fled the scene in the vehicle he arrived in."

Deputies were looking for Ortega and on Monday the Yucaipa Station released a photo of him and a description.

Ortega is about 5 feet 7, 170 pounds, with brown hair in a Mohawk style, brown eyes, and multiple tattoos covering his chest, back, upper arms and legs, according to the Sheriff's Department.

His vehicle was described as a copper or gold color Dodge car, possibly a Neon, Stratus or similar model. The vehicle had dark tint on the side windows.

Ortega is on parole for weapons and stolen property charges, deputies said. State parole issued a No-Bail Arrest Warrant for him Aug. 13, 2012, for failure to comply with the terms of his supervised release.

Anyone with more info was urged to call the Yucaipa Station at (909) 387-3589. Information can be provided anonymously via We Tip by calling 800 78 CRIME or visiting www.wetip.com.

Follow Banning-Beaumont Patch on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for the free daily newsletter here.