Man jailed in stabbing of woman

Jace Radke

Friday, Jan. 3, 2003 | 11:03 a.m.

A man who allegedly stabbed a 24-year-old woman in front of the Stratosphere was arrested this morning after a more than five-hour-long standoff with police.

Marcos Antonio Franco, 35, surrendered about 7 a.m. when he came out of an apartment at 2104 Tam Drive after being surrounded by SWAT and repeatedly threatening police, Metro Police spokesman Sgt. Rick Barela said.

The incident began about 1:20 a.m. when a woman was apparently the victim of a random attack in front of the Stratosphere, police said.

"She was catching a cab with three friends and this guy approaches her from behind, curses at her and stabs her in the back," Barela said. "There was absolutely no connection or past between them, and it appears to have been a random attack."

The woman was taken to University Medical Center where she is listed in stable but serious condition. She was moved to intensive care for observation after it was learned that her liver was nicked in the attack, Barela said.

The victim may be a tourist, officials said, because her identification card says her home is in Corvallis, Ore.

Patrol officers flooded the area around the Stratosphere after getting the call about the stabbing. Officer Carl Boehmer spotted a man who matched the description of the suspect in the Meadows Village area west of the Stratosphere. It turned out to be Franco, police said.

"He matched the description, but his clothes were slightly different," Barela said.

While Boehmer kept an eye on Franco, another officer backtracked the man's path to the Stratosphere and found evidence that tied the suspect to the stabbing, Barela said.

The suspect made his way to an apartment, and refused to come out when ordered by police. SWAT was called in and the standoff began around 2 a.m.

"Officers and SWAT negotiators tried to talk to him, but he threatened to kill the officers and said that he had already been to the state penitentiary and wasn't going back," Barela said.

About 7 a.m. SWAT officers detonated a distraction device outside of the apartment. The noise caused Franco to run out the front of the apartment where he was arrested.