Arrest Follows Unprovoked Stabbing at CV Link Path in Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A 53-year-old man suspected of stabbing a man along the CV Link path in Palm Springs was behind bars Tuesday.

Jacob Ethan Masters of Palm Springs was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder and resisting an officer, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

Bail information was not immediately available.

The assault was reported at about 2:40 p.m. on Dec. 31 between Cathedral Canyon and Golf Club drives.

The victim, who was identified only as a man, was walking when he made eye contact with a man on the trail as they passed. Police said that as he headed home about 15 minutes later, Masters, who was still in the area, put on a ski mask and approached while yelling profanities, then knocked him to the ground.

The victim fought off the attacker, who fled on foot, after which the man discovered he had been stabbed. He went to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries and was later released. It was unclear what type of weapon was used.

Police found Masters on Sunday in the 5600 block of East Ramon Road. He fled on foot as officers attempted to detain him, but was later arrested in the area of Cimarron Golf Course, near the CV Link trail, police said.

"At this time, the incident appears to have been an unprovoked attack. The suspect did not demand property, and the motive remains under investigation," the department said.