Third Suspect In 2022 Stabbing Arrested On Attempted Murder Charge

SILVER SPRING, MD — Nine months after an August 2022 stabbing in Wheaton, the third Silver Spring suspect was arrested on attempted murder charges, Montgomery County Police said.

Jose Ingles Mendez, 30, was arrested May 26, 2023, by officers of the Rockville City Police Department. He was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault. He is being held without bond.

Authorities said Ingles Mendez and two other Silver Spring residents stabbed and beat a man on Aug. 21, 2022, near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive in Wheaton. The other two suspects — Kevin Vargas Gomez, 20, and Heidy Gomez Rodriguez, 36 — were arrested last October.

According to a police news release, Vargas Gomez and Ingles Mendez approached the victim in the 2400 block of Reedie Drive and began to punch him repeatedly before hitting him with a bottle, causing it to break. They then used the broken bottle to stab the victim repeatedly.

The victim escaped and ran toward Georgia Avenue. Vargas Gomez and Ingles Mendez chased after the victim and continued to punch and kick him in the street, police said. Gomez Rodriguez picked up both Ingles Mendez and Vargas Gomez in a vehicle and drove away from the scene of the assault.

The victim was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

On Oct. 12, 2022, Vargas Gomez was arrested on one count of attempted first-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault.

On Oct. 27, 2022, Gomez Rodriguez was arrested on charges of conspiracy to attempt first-degree murder, conspiracy to attempt second-degree murder, conspiracy of assault in the first-degree and second-degree assault.