Clarksville Police identify suspect in targeted Saturday stabbing by MS-13 gang member
Officials with the Clarksville Police Department have identified the suspected gang member accused of a targeted stabbing Saturday in southern Indiana.
Chief Nathan Walls told The Courier Journal Monday afternoon that Mario Bernabe Rios is in custody and facing charges of attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon after stabbing a man twice in the area of Blackiston Mill Road and Marlowe Drive Saturday night.
First report: Suspected gang member arrested after 'serious event' in Clarksville. What we know
The relationship between the two is currently unknown, Walls said, but he believes the two knew each other from the establishment where the incident took place. Rios allegedly waited in the parking lot for the man to leave La Despensa Supermercado before carrying out the attack. Walls said investigators do not believe the man who was attacked has any gang or criminal affiliation.
Officers responded to the area at around 10 p.m. to find the man with serious injuries and multiple stab wounds. He was taken to Clark Memorial Health for his initial treatment before being transported to UofL Hospital's trauma unit. As of Monday, he's believed to be stable, Walls said.
Rios, believed to be tied to the MS-13 gang, fled the scene to a Jeffersonville home. Police found a vehicle matching witness descriptions at a house in the area and the Jeffersonville Police Department assisted Clarksville with executing search warrants and Rios' subsequent arrest.
Walls said additional evidence was located inside and he's "confident we got our guy." Additional search warrants are also being executed as the investigation continues.
"I would like to recognize the fantastic efforts that went into solving this case," he said. "Overnight, our officers went out and they hunted the suspect down, and with the help of Jeffersonville Police Department. The work that was done Saturday night to apprehend this guy, so shortly after, is incredible work."
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha 13, was created by Salvadoran immigrants that came to the United States in order to escape civil war. The group is known for using violent tactics to achieve its objectives and have been involved in a range of crimes from witness intimidation and rape to drug distribution and the illegal trafficking of vehicles and firearms. The FBI created the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in 2004 with hopes of dismantling them.
Keisha Rowe contributed. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Clarksville Police update on stabbing by suspected MS-13 gang member
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