Brownwood Police spend several hours overnight searching for a suspect in a stabbing case before taking him into custody. Israel Rivera is accused of stabbing his estranged wife several times late Tuesday night in the parking lot of the apartments located in the 1600 block of Melwood.

According to the police report, the victim was unloading groceries from her vehicle around 11pm Tuesday when the suspect approached her and stabbed her several times in the upper body.   The report states that Rivera fled the scene prior to police officer’s arrival, and police continued to search the area.

The victim was taken to Brownwood Regional Medical Center for treatment where she told police that Rivera was sending her text messages, the report states.  Police contacted AT&T and traced the location of the suspect’s phone which was still in the area of the scene of the stabbing.  Officers coordinated a perimeter of the area and located Rivera inside a residence just before 2am Wednesday morning, the report states.

Officers found a knife in the suspect’s pocket with a stain that “appeared to be consistent with dried blood,” the report states.   The arresting officer said that the suspect provided a false name at the time of his arrest, according to the report.

The victim was treated at the hospital and later released.

Rivera was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Failure to Identify as a Fugitive.