LOWELL, IN - Authorities confirmed that a previously deported illegal immigrant from Honduras was arrested following a manhunt in Indiana after he was identified as the person of interest in a random stabbing of a teenage girl at a baseball game.
According to Fox News, the search for the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Dimas Gabriel Yanez, began Saturday, August 31st, after a 14-year-old girl was stabbed in the hand with a butcher-style knife while at her brother's baseball game. In a statement, the Lake County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said that a man wielding the knife also tried to stab the girl's mother, who intervened in the attack. The suspect then fled the scene.
Authorities recovered a knife believed to have been used in the attack and named Yanez as the person of interest, warning the public that he should be considered armed and dangerous. The manhunt for Yanez continued into Sunday, September 1st, when the sheriff's office said that the suspect was spotted in the southern part of Lake County.
Yanez was arrested later in the afternoon on Sunday after a police officer with the sheriff's office spotted him running through a cornfield. Investigators believe he was in the process of trying to cut his hair to change his appearance and evade law enforcement just before he was arrested.
LCSO said that Yanez had previously been deported to Honduras back in 2018 and "may have been engaged in criminal activity across the United States since returning to the country illegally." The sheriff's office also said that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was notified of Yanez's arrest. Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in a statement, "I would like to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to each and every Lake County police officer and to all law enforcement agencies working tirelessly on the investigation and search in this case."
He added, "I am proud of the level of cooperation exhibited by police officers throughout the county." Yanez remains in custody at the Lake County Jail. As of this writing, no information about whether he is facing any felony charges is available. The sheriff's office said that the investigation remains ongoing.
The teenage girl was treated for her injuries at a hospital before being released. Matthew Ramian, the coach of the baseball team that was playing when the stabbing happened said, "He just jumped on her and pushed her over. The proceeded to pull out what I called like a bowie knife, a big 16, 18-inch knife and just started swinging it on her." Ramian said that several dads chased after the suspect before losing track of him.
According to the Daily Caller, the attack follows other high-profile attacks against women, allegedly at the hands of illegal immigrants. Back in February, Laken Riley was allegedly killed by a Venezuelan national. In June, a Salvadorian national was arrested and is being accused of killing a Maryland mother of five in 2023. Two Venezuelan nationals allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in June.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has taken a tough stance against illegal immigration by threatening lawsuits against any jurisdiction in the state that has "sanctuary city" laws in their books. In May, he said in a statement, "We welcome want-to-be-patriots to the United States who will add value to our country and want to live their lives under the values of this country was founded upon. The first way they can show that is by following our laws. Those who do not follow our laws by entering our country illegally should not be allowed to stay."
