By Gina Yarbrough
El Cajon, CA–A man was arrested and charged with suspicion of attempted murder of a passenger on a trolley in east county, authorities said.
Joshua Lee Martinez, an El Cajon resident was taken into custody and booked into San Diego County Jail on charges of attempted murder. He is a convicted felon with an extensive violent criminal history with arrests including possessing a dangerous weapon, domestic violence, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a firearm, probation violation, and participation in a criminal street gang, the El Cajon Police Department said.
On July 30 at about 9:16 p.m., the male victim and his girlfriend were on the trolley in the area of the Marshall Avenue trolley stop in El Cajon when the victim was allegedly confronted by Martinez. During an argument between the two, the suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim repeatedly in the head and arm. Martinez then fled the trolley at the Arnelle Avenue trolley stop. The victim was transported to a local trauma center where he was treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries, El Cajon Police Department Lt. Randy Soulard said in a news release.
With the assistance of surveillance footage from the scene, and working with officers from the La Mesa Police Department, detectives from the El Cajon Police Department were able to identify Martinez as the suspect in the assault. During the follow-up investigation, Martinez was located near his residence and was taken into custody without incident. A knife was discovered in Martinez’s possession, however, authorities said it is unknown if the knife is the same weapon used during the stabbing.
The El Cajon Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding these incidents to call the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311, or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888)580-8477 or visit Sdcrimestoppers.org.
