Arrest made in series of Albuquerque stabbings linked to man on bicycle

New Mexico authorities said they have arrested a suspect linked to a series of stabbings in the Albuquerque area, The Associated Press reported. 

Police in Albuquerque said in a statement on Monday that they had arrested Tobias Gutierrez on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. 

Authorities said that Gutierrez committed the stabbing spree for several hours along Central Avenue, one of Albuquerque’s main streets.

According to police, Gutierrez began the spree on Sunday as officers responded to a crime scene and found a male suffering from a hand wound. 

Other victims include those at a homeless encampment and at a University of New Mexico smoke shop where Gutierrez asked one of his victims for money and began yelling and swinging a knife, according to a criminal complaint cited by the AP. 

Police also said officers were called to two more stabbings along Central Avenue over the next two hours before responding to another stabbing incident of a suspected stabbing at a local convenience store, where officers found victims suffered from neck wounds. 

Witnesses told authorities that they identified a man on a bike armed with a large knife, the AP reported. 

“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason” to the attacks, Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a statement.

Gutierrez, 42, has a criminal history that includes felony offenses such as burglary, battery and possession of a controlled substance, the AP noted.