A man accused of attacking another man with a machete in La Quinta when the victim came to the defense of the suspect’s ex-girlfriend was in custody Tuesday.
Christopher Yslas, 32, is accused of swinging a blade at the victim during an altercation that started between Yslas and his former girlfriend on Feb. 12, 2015.
The victim was able to block the blow with his arm, but was left with “an avulsion, a severed artery and damage to the bone in his left forearm,” which required surgery, an arrest warrant declaration states.
After Yslas and his ex-girlfriend allegedly began arguing and pushing each other on the evening of Feb. 12, the victim intervened by punching Yslas, prompting the defendant to allegedly pull out a machete and swing it at the man, then run from the scene, the declaration states.
Yslas was interviewed by sheriff’s deputies about two weeks after the incident and said he struck the victim in self-defense, after the man began punching him in the head, according to the declaration. Yslas said he apologized when he saw the victim was bleeding, left the scene, then tossed the machete in a dumpster.
Prosecutors charged Yslas with assault with a deadly weapon in June 2016.
He was booked Tuesday morning at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside in lieu of $25,000 bail. He’s expected to appear in an Indio courtroom on Thursday.