Suspect in North Las Vegas stabbing death claims he acted in self-defense

A 39-year-old man is facing a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of a man after a fight in a North Las Vegas parking lot last week.

North Las Vegas police officers arrested Yaroslan Granda Ruedas in connection with the stabbing on Feb. 7. Earlier that day, the police department had received a report of two men fighting in a shopping center parking lot. When officers arrived, they found a man injured with a large stab wound in his back and lacerations on his left arm. They also found a large knife on the ground nearby.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Officers spoke with witnesses after the stabbing. One man told them he witnessed the victim hit the car belonging to Granda Ruedas’ with his hands, after which Granda Ruedas got out of the car, brandishing a 12-inch knife, according to an arrest report.

The witness claims the two men fought, and the suspect, Granda Ruedas, stabbed the victim three times in the back. The witness said Granda Ruedas then chased the victim a short distance, before stopping, returning to his car and driving away. The witness then saw the victim pull the knife out of his back. The witness told police that even though the victim had struck the suspect’s car, he considered the suspect the aggressor and says he overreacted.

Officers also viewed cellphone video, which showed Granda Ruedas pursuing the victim after the stabbing.

In addition, a woman who works at a nearby insurance agency told police she had spoken with Granda Ruedas just prior to the stabbing. The woman told police Granda Ruedas, a customer of her business, was “acting irrationally and aggressively” while in her office, and that she phoned the suspect’s wife after talking to him, to alert her to his behavior.

Police then spoke with the suspect’s wife, who told them she and the suspect have been separated for five months because of the suspect’s “mental health issues.”

Officers then arrested Granda Ruedas and interviewed him about the stabbing. Granda Ruedas admitted to stabbing the victim, but claimed the victim had struck him in the head with a pipe, the arrest report showed. He also told officers the victim fell on the knife the first two times, but the third time, Granda Ruedas actively stabbed the victim in self-defense. Granda Ruedas also denied being angry, irritated or aggressive at the time of the stabbing.

Granda Ruedas is due in court for a status check on Feb. 16.

Contact Justin Razavi at jrazavi@reviewjournal.com. Follow @justin_razavi on Twitter.