MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A 34-year-old homeless man was arrested Monday after police say he stabbed his friend while they were watching a soccer game at a home in Miami Beach.
Miami Beach police said they were conducting an unrelated criminal investigation just before 10:30 a.m. Monday in the 7600 block of Collins Avenue, when a man ran towards them frantically, stating he had been stabbed in the chest.
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The officers noticed a stab wound to the victim’s chest and left pectoral area, and treated the wound, according to an arrest report.
The victim identified the stabbing suspect as Jhon Jairo Lopez Cuellar and said he was last seen heading southbound on Collins Avenue near 76th Street.
Police said they located Lopez Cuellar near the 7400 block of Collins Avenue after he was identified in a photo by the victim.
Authorities said Lopez Cuellar was found in possession of a yellow knife at the time of his arrest and was taken to the Miami Beach Criminal Investigations Division.
Rivera was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center for further treatment, the report stated.
The victim told police he had been watching a soccer game with Lopez Cuellar when an argument broke out over comments Lopez Cuellar made to a female.
Those comments were not revealed in the publicly released report.
The victim said he tried to de-escalate the situation by walking away, but Lopez Cuellar confronted him again by saying “I will kill you” in Spanish, the report stated.
Shortly after, Lopez Cuellar pulled out a knife with a yellow handle and stabbed him twice, once in the chest and once in the left armpit/ pectoral area, according to investigators.
After being cleared by medical staff, the victim provided a sworn statement at the Miami Beach Criminal Investigations Division.
Authorities said the victim feared for his life and believed Lopez Cuellar would have killed him if he had not run away.
The victim told detectives that he had been friends with Lopez Cuellar for about four months and that they had traveled together from New York City to Miami for work.
Police said after being read his Miranda rights, Lopez Cuellar invoked his right to remain silent.
Jail records show he is facing one count of attempted second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
As of Tuesday, he was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.