S.D. Firefighters Recovering from Stabbing Assault

Two San Diego firefighters who were jumped and stabbed during a medical-aid call at an East Village trolley stop were recovering in hospitals today.

The emergency personnel were tending to an ailing man on the transit platform at Park Boulevard and Market Street shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday when they got into a struggle with 34-year-old Ryan Allen Jones, who allegedly stabbed each of them multiple times, police said. The motive for the alleged assault was unclear.

Patrol officers arrested the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound suspect nearby minutes later.

Medics took one of the victims to Scripps Mercy Hospital and the other to UCSD Medical Center. Both men remained hospitalized in stable condition this morning, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Jones was evaluated at an emergency room for a complaint of pain before being booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.

This morning, Fire Chief Javier Mainar expressed gratitude for the outpouring of condolences and sympathy his department has received from the public.

“On behalf of the entire Fire-Rescue Department, I want to thank everyone in the city of San Diego and beyond who has expressed their concern and offered their prayers and support for our people at this time,” Mainar said.

--City News Service