EL CAJON (CNS) – Authorities reached out to the public today for help in locating a 24-year-old ex-convict suspected of carrying out a vicious stabbing attack in El Cajon that left a stranger in his 70's near death.
The victim's face was severely slashed, with one of his ears almost severed, according to the El Cajon Police Department.
Israel Ezekiel Valdivia allegedly jumped the victim at the intersection of Petree Street and Marshall Avenue as the man was walking to work shortly before 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 3.
Patrol officers responding to a 911 call about the assault arrived to find the victim with "numerous life-threatening stab wounds" Lt. Randy Soulard said. Paramedics took him to a trauma center, where he was admitted in critical condition.
"Due to the extent of the victim's injuries, ECPD investigators were only recently able to speak with him to confirm that he has no relationship with Valdivia and that this violent assault was entirely random and unprovoked," Soulard said.
Surveillance cameras around the site of the attack captured images of the near-fatal violence, enabling detectives to identify Valdivia as the suspected perpetrator, according to police.
Valdivia is known to carry a large knife, believed to frequent San Diego and Chula Vista and have ties to San Bernardino. He is described as a 5-foot-11-inch, roughly 180-pound Latino with black hair, brown eyes and a medium build. He has numerous tattoos, including one in the shape of a large letter "V" on his face.
Valdivia's criminal history includes convictions for elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, and numerous drug and theft-related charges.
Anyone with information on Valdivia's whereabouts is asked to avoid approaching him and immediately call police.
