A Westminster man is facing charges March 19 in the fatal stabbing of a neighbor who intervened when the defendant attacked his roommate, authorities said.
Isaias Saquic-Saquic, 35, was charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder, with additional penalties for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He is accused of killing 48-year-old Alvaro Martin-Perez of Westminster.
Westminster police were called to an apartment complex in the 7300 block of 21st Street around 1 p.m. on March 15 following reports of a stabbing, police said in a statement. Upon arrival, officers discovered several apartment residents holding down a male, later identified as Saquic-Saquic.
Officers also found two victims with multiple stab wounds and immediately began treating them with assistance from the Orange County Fire Authority, police said.
The roommate was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. However, Mr. Martin-Perez died.
According to police, an argument between Mr. Saquic-Saquic and one of his roommates escalated into a fight, during which he allegedly stabbed his roommate multiple times with a knife.
When Mr. Martin-Perez intervened, he was also stabbed repeatedly by Mr. Saquic-Saquic, police said.
Other neighbors intervened, disarming Mr. Saquic-Saquic and restraining him until law enforcement arrived.
“Mr. Perez’s actions were nothing less than heroic! Tragically, his efforts to protect his neighbor cost him his life. I have no doubt his bravery saved the lives of others in the area,” said Westminster Police Chief Darin Lenyi. “On behalf of the members of WPD, we extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family.”
Mr. Saquic-Saquic was arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the WPD Watch Commander at (714) 898-3767, Orange County Crime Stoppers (815) TIP-OCCS or by logging onto the website.
