A probationer accused of stabbing a man multiple times during an attack in Lake Elsinore pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and other charges after his case was resubmitted to the court under an amended filing.
Pablo Bustamante Jr., 39, was arrested and originally charged last May following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
Along with attempted murder, Bustamante was charged a year ago with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and inflicting great bodily injury. An amended complaint was filed Wednesday listing an additional charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
The filing prompted Superior Court Judge John Monterosso to re-arraign the defendant, after which a preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 29 at the Southwest Justice Center.
Bustamante is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Cpl. Evan Bechtold, at about 11:15 p.m. on April 30, 2023, Bustamante and the victim, identified only as a Lake Elsinore man, were involved in an unspecified confrontation in the 31000 block of Riverside Drive, near Lakeshore Drive, during which the defendant allegedly pulled a knife and attacked the other man.
Patrol deputies converged on the location minutes later and discovered the victim “suffering from multiple stab wounds and losing consciousness,” Bechtold said.
The man was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for surgery. He ultimately recovered.
Deputies obtained a description of Bustamante and were directed to a residential area in the 15000 block of Lincoln Street, just over a mile away from where the alleged attack occurred. He was apprehended three hours later without incident, according to Bechtold.
A possible motive for the alleged attack was not provided.
Court records show the defendant has a prior misdemeanor conviction for driving under the influence.