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'He tried to kill me': Woman stabbed repeatedly outside Tempe car wash

A woman had to be put on a ventilator after she sustained stab wounds to her neck Sunday afternoon in Tempe.

TEMPE, Ariz. — A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her repeatedly at a car wash in Tempe.

Shortly before 2 p.m., a physical fight was observed between two people inside a car that had pulled into a car wash business near Elliot Road and Priest Drive. 

A woman could be heard screaming before she was pushed out of the vehicle, court records show. Bystanders ran over to help and noticed a man holding a large knife before he fled the scene.

Once police officers arrived, the wounded woman told them that her ex-boyfriend had stabbed her multiple times in the neck.

"He tried to kill me," she allegedly told investigators, "He stabbed me over, and over, and over, and over."

The woman was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery to repair the wounds to her neck. She was later placed on a ventilator, records show.

The car involved in the violent incident was later found abandoned in the Gilbert area. Police reported finding a knife inside of the vehicle, records show.

By Sunday night, Tempe police was notified that the suspect, identified as Ivan Munoz Ortiz, could be found at a residence in San Tan Valley.  The 35-year-old was taken into custody and is facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault.

   

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