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Team coverageA man involved in a violent fight last week has walked out of a hospital where he was being treated. Police didn't expect him to get far because of his wounds.
The man had multiple stab wounds and a collapsed lung. The man wasn't in police custody because this case is still under investigation.
Police don't know what caused the argument or who started the violence, but it's clear that man didn't want to be questioned by police.
A car ride ended in a bloody brawl between the driver and passenger. They were driving south on Redwood Road on Friday, when they got into an argument. The driver lost control and hit a minivan near 1100 South.
Salt Lake City police Lt. Gary Young said, "After the incident, both fled the scene and had to be found by police later on in the area."
The passenger, 29-year-old Milton Torres Mencia, had been shot in the leg.
The driver, David Garcia, had five stab wounds. Lt. Young said both were taken to different hospitals.
Mencia was released from the hospital and then arrested on drug charges.
Garcia was taken to University Hospital. In addition to the stab wounds, he had a collapsed lung and needed a chest tube. Because his injuries were more serious, he was going to need more treatment. "Because of the prolonged treatment, and we weren't able to determine who the aggressor was, we were just going to continue our investigation, and we pulled guard duty at that time," Lt. Young said.
With no officer guarding the hospital room, Garcia walked away. "Apparently, yesterday, when he realized he wasn't being guarded, he decided to leave the hospital," Young said.
Police want to find him and talk to him about the violent car ride. But they're also concerned for his health. "We're still looking for Mr. Garcia because, again, he needs to be treated for his injuries. They are quite significant."
Court records show that Garcia has a criminal history, which includes weapons and drug charges.
Police say based on the history of both men involved in that fight, it could have been drug related. Police did recover a gun and a knife at the scene and say there is enough evidence to bring Garcia in for questioning. "At this time, we're still investigating it. We want to talk to both parties extensively because neither one of them was being completely forthright, and we have been unable to determine what actually transpired inside the vehicle," Young said.
A bystander was sent to the hospital after his vehicle was struck by the vehicle driven by Garcia. The extent of his injuries is unknown.
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