Early-morning Tri-Cities shopper chased, then attacked with a box cutter
A 32-year-old man’s early morning shopping trip to Pasco’s Albertsons turned into a harrowing chase around the store in a case of mistaken identity.
Javier Carrillo-Garcia had just gotten out of his car in the store’s parking at 1:30 a.m. when a shirtless Joe F. Gutierrez called out to him.
When Gutierrez, a 25-year-old gang member, drew closer, he asked, “What do you claim? What do you rep?”
The question confused Carrillo-Garcia, who just wanted to buy some food, said court documents.
Gutierrez apparently mistook him for a rival gang member and told him, “All right, you have 5 minutes.”
But as soon as Carillo-Garcia walked into the 20th Avenue store, Gutierrez attacked, said Pasco Officer Marcos Guzman.
Gutierrez began pushing Carillo-Garcia, who tried calling police but dropped his cellphone. Gutierrez grabbed the phone, and kept yelling, “What do you rep?”
Carillo-Garcia then ran through the store, with Gutierrez chasing him. Along the way, Gutierrez had snagged a box cutter off a shelf and ripped open the packaging.
The men ended up in a tugging match and Gutierrez slashed his side with the cutter, said police.
Carrillo-Garcia knocked him to the ground and ran to the front of the store, where he asked an employee for help, said court documents.
But by then, Gutierrez also reached the front and slashed at him again, said police. Carrillo-Garcia managed to knock the blade aside.
He raced to the floral and bakery section of the store and hid until police arrived.
Police said Carillo-Garcia suffered a 7-inch gash on his side and a V-shaped cut to the palm of his hand palm, with several other bruises. He was treated at a local hospital.
Gutierrez is on a 72-hour investigative hold facing a possible charge of first-degree assault. Judge Cameron Mitchell set his bail at $100,000.
Guitierrez is currently facing drug charges in Benton County, and had previous criminal charges dropped in 2016 after he took part in mental health treatment, according to court documents.
Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call dispatchers at 509-628-0333 or email Detective Chris Caicedo at caicedo@pasco-wa.gov.
This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 10:41 AM.