Jose Alejandro Garza

BROWNSVILLE, Texas  — The Brownsville Police Department identifies the suspect in connection to a stabbing incident that occurred Friday evening.

Jose Alejandro Garza, 17, was arrested at Sunrise Mall on charges of aggravated assault with deadly weapon and tampering with physical evidence, Brownsville PD stated.

Investigators said, Garza got into an argument with a 23-year-old man, when several men began to fight by the movie entrance at Sunrise Mall.

“During the fight, Garza took out a knife and stabbed the victim in the right abdominal area,” a release from Brownsville PD said.

According to reports, the victim was taken to Valley Regional Hospital with minor injuries.

The release stated, when witness described the man to police on scene as wearing a red zip-up sweater with a “cuh-like style haircut”, an off-duty officer overheard the description and located Garza.

According to Brownsville PD, Garza refused to talk to officers and stated “he was a minor waiting for his mother to arrive before he could say anything to police.”

Officers found a knife blade cover on Garza, who they alleged had intentionally hid the knife from police.

“The witnesses positively identified Garza as the person that stabbed the victim,” authorities said.

Garza was taken to Brownsville City Jail and has a bond of $70,000.

Charges as of March 12, 2023: Aggravated Assault w/Deadly Weapon 2nd Degree Felony, Tampering with Evidence, 3rd Degree Felony