Stabbing suspects arrested in Las Vegas

Two Carson City 18-year-olds were arrested in Las Vegas on Thursday in connection with the stabbing earlier this month of a fast food worker here.

Christopher Piche and Irvin Garcia were picked up by Las Vegas police Thursday afternoon on a Carson City warrant charging them with battery with a deadly weapon and burglary.

Piche and Garcia are accused of jumping the counter at the Jack in the Box on Market Street in East Carson City about 9 p.m. March 17 to assault a worker they believed was a member of a rival gang.

According to Lt. Bob White, the employee was able to fend off the assault and suffered a minor stab wound to his torso. It's not believed that the victim is affiliated with a gang, said White.

The two assailants then fled and are suspected of going to a local casino where they ran through the casino knocking over chairs and calling out a derogatory name for a suspected rival gang member who worked there, White said. He said surveillance at the casino was used to identify Piche and Garcia as the two who assaulted the Jack in the Box employee.

Tips from the community led police to the two men in Las Vegas where they were staying with an acquaintance. It's believed they were driven there by a friend the day after the stabbing.

"Reward money through Secret Witness generated credible information, which led us to these two suspects and we were able to get warrants for them," said White.

He said both Piche and Garcia are documented as gang members with the Carson City Sheriff's Department.

In August 2006, when Piche was 16, he was shot in the face following what police characterized as a "running gun battle" on August Drive.

Piche was among a group of people allegedly called outside to confront a car of rival gang members when someone inside the rival vehicle opened fire, striking Piche in the face.

The bullet became lodged in his neck and doctor's were unable to remove it for fear of paralyzing him, White said.

Piche allegedly refused to cooperate with investigators in his shooting and no arrest was made.

Piche was also identified by investigators as a person of interest in a 2006 Halloween party gang shooting in the Northridge subdivision that left one man dead and another injured. No arrest was made in that case either, White said.

Carson City investigators are expected to pick up Piche and Garcia in Las Vegas sometime next week.

Bail for each is set at $100,000.