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SANDY — A West Jordan man was charged Wednesday with stabbing his friend multiple times during a drunken argument.
Carlos Arturo Mendoza, 18, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, a second-degree felony, and intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.
During the early morning hours of March 16, Mendoza was invited to the Sandy home of a 19-year-old friend. The two consumed alcohol and got into an argument. The argument culminated with Mendoza stabbing his friend nine times, according to charging documents. The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
When officers attempted to question Mendoza, they noted that he "had an injured left elbow, abrasions on his face near his mouth, and a cut on his finger that required stitches. Mendoza also had glassy and bloodshot eyes, slow and repetitive movements, and was visibly intoxicated," the charges state.
Mendoza claimed his friend "became aggressive" and hit him several times during their fight, which Mendoza allegedly claimed prompted him to defend himself, according to the charges.
The friend allegedly told investigators that he also "was so drunk he could not remember fighting with Mendoza, and he could not remember what happened before the stabbing," while adding that "Mendoza's behavior had recently been strange."
