Coworker dispute turns deadly at San Rafael shopping center, police say
A man died after a stabbing at the Northgate One Shopping Center in Terra Linda on Monday afternoon, and police say a 20-year-old coworker surrendered and was booked into the Marin County Jail.
SAN RAFAEL: A dispute between coworkers at a Terra Linda shopping center turned deadly on Monday, when a man was stabbed at the Northgate One Shopping Center on Las Gallinas Avenue and died after being taken to a hospital, according to San Rafael police statements reported by KTVU, KION and Focal News.
Officers were called to the 700 block of Las Gallinas Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. KION reported that Sgt. Justin Graham, a San Rafael police spokesperson, said a passerby found the man on the ground outside the center, called 911 and performed CPR. Graham told KION there were “no eyewitnesses” to the stabbing itself, and police have said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
What police say happened inside
According to KTVU and Focal News, the victim and the suspect worked at the same business in the center, and an ongoing dispute between the two men turned physical on Monday. Focal News reported that the victim left the business through a rear entrance and collapsed outside, and that officers identified him as an employee based on his clothing. Police have not released the name of the business, and the victim's name was being withheld while family members were notified.
KION reported that the victim was found outside the Northgate Medical Dental Center at 750 Las Gallinas Avenue, at Northgate Drive. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to the police accounts carried by all three outlets.
Suspect surrendered, police say
Police identified the suspect as Justin Amilcar Gutierrez-Navarette, 20, of Richmond. Focal News reported that he contacted police and surrendered, and that he was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of murder. KTVU reported the booking as a homicide arrest. The booking is an allegation, and formal charges are decided by prosecutors after police complete their investigation.
Graham told KION it was too early in the investigation to discuss a motive, and police have not described what the dispute between the two coworkers was about. Focal News reported that San Rafael police and firefighters responded to the shopping center on Monday afternoon.
Much about the case remains undisclosed. Police have not named the business where the two men worked, have not said what kind of work they did there, and have not explained how the suspect came to contact officers before surrendering. The Northgate One center is one of three shopping centers in San Rafael that carry the Northgate name, alongside the larger Northgate Mall in the same Terra Linda neighborhood.
Police say the investigation is continuing, and no further details about the case were released on Tuesday.
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