A 30-year-old man suspected of stabbing an acquaintance during a conflict along Highway 74 in Valle Vista was behind bars Friday.
Roman Neely of Hemet was arrested and booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning Thursday on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Neely is being held on $1 million bail.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the alleged attack happened just after 3 p.m. Thursday in the 45000 block of Highway 74, near the Ramona Expressway.
Sgt. Jose Payan said that Neely was involved in an unspecified confrontation with the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, and during the encounter, the suspect pulled a knife and stabbed him, then fled the location.
The man called 911 and was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment of the non-life-threatening wound. He identified his alleged assailant — Neely — whom deputies tracked down a short distance away on Schultz Road, where he was taken into custody without incident.
A possible motive for the alleged attack wasn’t disclosed, nor was the exact relationship between the suspect and victim, other than that they knew one another.
Background information on Neely also was not available.