A Lemon Grove man is behind bars on attempted murder and felony evading charges after deputies intervened in a stabbing near a middle school and then chased him through four cities before cornering him on Interstate 8.

On March 11, at approximately 1:10 p.m., San Diego County Sheriff's deputies assigned to Lemon Grove's Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) unit were providing extra patrols near Lemon Grove Academy Middle School ahead of student dismissal time. While in the area, deputies came across an adult male victim who was bleeding severely from a stab wound — before any radio call had been dispatched.

Recognizing the severity of the wound, deputies applied a tourniquet and provided immediate medical care until paramedics arrived. The victim fell in and out of consciousness due to rapid blood loss. Because of the deputies' swift action, he is expected to survive.

Detectives identified the suspect as 48-year-old Jose Guadalupe Torres. When deputies attempted a traffic stop, Torres refused to yield and fled, initiating a vehicle pursuit that wound through the cities of San Diego, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, and La Mesa. The Sheriff's Fugitive Task Force and ASTREA helicopter unit responded to assist.

Torres eventually stopped his vehicle on Interstate 8 eastbound, just before the El Cajon Boulevard exit — which runs directly through the heart of East County. With the combined assistance of La Mesa Police Department's SWAT Bearcat and the Sheriff's Special Enforcement Detail's Bearcat, Torres' vehicle was pinned. Fugitive Task Force deputies then contacted Torres by phone and persuaded him to surrender peacefully. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into San Diego Central Jail. A search warrant was later executed at his residence, where possible evidence of the crime was recovered. The investigation is ongoing.