A Mesa man was arrested after strangling his girlfriend and attempting to stab a neighbor, police said.
According to court documents, 32-year-old Stephen Gutierrez was arguing with his girlfriend and a younger man in an apartment near Gilbert and University on Dec. 28 when he followed the man out of the apartment and tried to assault him.
Police said the suspect’s girlfriend tried to stop him from assaulting the man, but then Gutierrez started to strangle her, causing her eyes to bleed until she became unconscious.
Three young children who were in the apartment began screaming, alerting neighbors, who then called police, documents said.
One neighbor, who said he was trying to defend the girl and the children, confronted Gutierrez, who pulled out a knife and tried to stab him several times.
Gutierrez, who has a prior history of domestic violence, was charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and criminal damage.
