Person of interest arrested in connection with apparent random stabbing attack in Lake County, Indiana

LOWELL, Ind. — A man wanted in connection with the stabbing of a teen girl in Northwest Indiana on Saturday has been taken into custody following an extensive manhunt.

Deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced that 26-year-old Dimas Gabriel Yanez, who investigators had identified as a person of interest in the case, was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon.

Lake County Sheriff’s deputies said in a Facebook post that the stabbing unfolded around 3:45 p.m. Saturday at the VFW baseball field near West 173rd Street and Morse Street in unincorporated Lowell, while the 14-year-old girl was watching her brother’s baseball game with her mother.

According to deputies, while watching the game, a person attacked the teen girl and stabbed her in the hand. When the teen’s mother attempted to intervene, the attacker attempted to stab her as well.

Deputies said in the Facebook post that after the stabbing, a male subject was chased into a nearby wooded area.

Following the incident, authorities recovered what they called a “butcher-style knife” that was believed to have been used in the attack.

The teen girl was later treated at the hospital and released.

Authorities said Yanez had been spotted in the southern part of Lake County on Sunday and was eventually taken into custody after a foot pursuit through a cornfield in an area near 120th & Iowa.

Deputies said they believed Yanez had been in the process of cutting his hair to change his appearance shortly before his arrest.

Saturday’s stabbing sparked an extensive manhunt, involving law enforcement officers from several agencies as well as K9 and aviation units.

According to investigators, Yanez had been deported to Honduras in 2018 but allegedly returned to the U.S. illegally. Investigators believe he may have been involved in criminal activity across the U.S. since his return.

Deputies said they have notified the US Department of Homeland Security about Yanez’s arrest.

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