Attempted murder charges for San Mateo stabbing

At around 7 p.m. Oct. 28, Canche was sitting in the rear seat of a car driven by his friend, who had picked him up in East Palo Alto and driven him to the restaurant to attend a birthday party. The man’s girlfriend was in the passenger seat of the car, and when the car was parked in the restaurant’s parking lot, Canche allegedly wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and began stabbing him with a sharp object resembling a box cutter, according to prosecutors.

The man allegedly grabbed Canche’s arm to keep him from stabbing him, and his girlfriend began yelling, at which point he fled from the car. The man was taken to a nearby hospital and received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, according to prosecutors.

According to San Mateo police and prosecutors, Canche was seen some 30 minutes later by a bicyclist on the pedway in Edgewater Isle neighborhood. The bicyclist allegedly saw Canche step into the pedway and clothesline the man, who said the attack was unprovoked. The second alleged victim fell to the ground and Canche allegedly punched and wrestled with the man, who said he was wearing a bicycle helmet and felt Canche was targeting his head, according to prosecutors.

The second alleged victim was stabbed 23 times, with deep wounds to his right cheek and several wounds to his neck. He was hospitalized for his injuries, and is expected to recover, according to prosecutors.

A third man who was walking on the pedway with his girlfriend toward East Hillsdale Boulevard saw Canche and the second alleged victim wrestling and cursing on a lower part of the embankment lining the path. He allegedly asked what was going on, and Canche allegedly walked toward him and said the bicyclist was trying to kill him, according to prosecutors.

Without provocation, Canche allegedly punched a third victim in the throat and, when the man backed away, he was bleeding. Canche allegedly started walking toward the man’s girlfriend and the third alleged victim told her to run, according to prosecutors.

The man was also treated at the hospital for stab wounds to the throat and was discharged, according to prosecutors.

Canche was located by officers in the San Mateo Police Department’s crime reduction unit in a nearby lagoon acting erratically. Using crisis intervention techniques, the officers were allegedly able to negotiate with Canche and arrest him, according to police previously.

In custody on no bail status, Canche will next appear in court Nov. 6 for entry of plea and appearance of designated attorney, according to prosecutors.