Bloody Murder Attempt Stains Soquel Drive Apartment

A Santa Cruz County man is in jail today after being arrested for allegedly stabbing a woman in the chest in a violent fight that woke up neighbors and left blood spattered around an apartment complex Sunday morning, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of a man and woman engaged in a violent argument at the Emerald Bay Apartments at 2500 Soquel Dr, around 12:45 a.m., sheriff's Sgt. Robin Mitchell said.

The complex is the same location where . In the 1990s the Emerald Bay Apartments were a hotbed of crime, but a strong effort by the Sheriff's Office brought the number of incidents there down significantly.

"Approximately 15 years ago, the complex was a major problem in the area for gang activity and drug sales," Lt. Craig Wilson told Patch in March. "Through a concerted effort, that area was really turned around."

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The reports Sunday morning were from concerned neighbors who said they had seen 44-year-old Gilbert Hernandez Sanchez fighting with a woman, Mitchell said. At one point, witnesses saw the two tumble down a flight of stairs at the complex, she said.

According to Mitchell, when deputies arrived, the woman and Sanchez both resisted deputies' attempts to intervene. She said it appears alcohol was involved.

Sanchez tried to drag the woman into the apartment, where deputies saw blood throughout the unit and later found a knife they believed to be the weapon used in the incident, Mitchell said.

Deputies eventually succeeded in breaking up the fight after using a Taser to subdue Sanchez. They then transported Sanchez and the woman to Dominican Hospital, where both were treated and released.

Sanchez had a stab wound to his hand, while the woman had a couple of stab wounds to her chest.

"She went home, he went to jail," Mitchell said.

Sanchez, who is on federal probation, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail for attempted murder and is being held in lieu of $750,000 bail, according to Mitchell.

Bay City News contributed to this report.