Lopez Fuentes placed in jail to await pick-up by ICE
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has charged a 19-year-old Sarasota man with attempted second-degree murder in the aftermath of a late-night incident on Saturday, Sept. 19, the agency has reported.
Yordi David Lopez Fuentes, who was living on Lahaina Drive, was being held without bond in the county jail, his booking record says.
A Sheriff’s Office news release issued on Sept. 21 indicated that he was awaiting pickup by personnel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “His identity has yet to be confirmed with an official government ID from either Guatemala or the United States,” a Sheriff’s Office news release points out.
On Sept. 19, the release notes, “Deputies were dispatched to a reported stabbing at a residence in the 5100 block of Lahaina Drive in Sarasota.” When they arrived at the scene, the release adds, they found an Hispanic man “in the front of the residence with stab wounds, resulting in a significant amount of blood loss. While deputies where assessing the victim,” the release continues, “he lost consciousness and CPR was initiated. The victim was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for emergency surgery.”
The victim’s name was redacted from the Probable Cause Affidavit for Lopez Fuentes that the Sheriff’s Office provided with the news release.
That affidavit did note that patrol deputies had to “apply a tourniquet to prevent further loss of blood” by the victim.
Lopez Fuentes “refused to exit the residence after deputies provided lawful commands” for him to do so, the news release adds. Based on the suspect’s refusal to comply with the commands, the release says, “deputies utilized less lethal pepper ball munitions and the assistance of a K9 unit to apprehend and take the suspect into custody.”
The Probable Cause Affidavit for Lopez Fuentes points out that he had “a domestic relationship” with the victim, who was stabbed “with a kitchen knife after an argument.”
Further, it notes, “The victim had stab wounds on his left arm and several bruises consistent with strikes from a belt.”
“The complainant,” who was not identified in the affidavit — though female pronouns were used — told investigators that the victim and Lopez Fuentes “had gotten into a verbal altercation because [Lopez Fuentes] was being disrespectful to [the complainant].” She added that the victim and Lopez Fuentes “removed their belts and began striking each other with the belts.”
Then Lopez Fuentes became angry, she continued in the affidavit, and he “began searching through the kitchen drawers … [T]he victim asked him what he was doing,” he affidavit continues.
The complainant said she then “began walking to her bedroom,” the affidavit notes. At that time, she “heard [Lopez Fuentes] say he was going to kill the victim. She then heard the victim tell her to call the police.”
Lopez Fuentes was believed to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, the affidavit shows.
The affidavit adds, “The complainant turned around, observed the victim bleeding heavily, and a knife in the defendant’s hands. The victim and complainant fled the residence, and the complainant called law enforcement.”
The affidavit notes that the victim had not regained consciousness before the affidavit was prepared. Therefore, it says, he “was unable to provide a statement.
“The victim [was] expected to survive” as of the time the affidavit was completed, the affidavit notes.
A Sarasota News Leader search of the records maintained by Karen Rushing, Sarasota County clerk of the Circuit Court and county comptroller, and her staff found no other cases involving Lopez Fuentes.