An Absecon man who allegedly stabbed a man multiple times outside an Atlantic City bar was ordered held in jail.
Luis Sanchez, 33, is shown in surveillance video with the knife outside Cinco de Mayo at Atlantic and Florida avenues at about 5:35 a.m. June 3, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
A witness told police that she had video of the vehicle that the suspect fled in, along with the registration, Assistant Prosecutor Katrina Koerner told the judge.
The woman knew him as Luis, a customer at the restaurant where the witness works. Neither her name nor the establishment where she works were released.
Sanchez was found in that car.
The attack was the second time Sanchez's group of friends and the victim's group had an issue that night, according to information given during his detention hearing Friday.
During the second encounter, Sanchez allegedly stabbed the victim several times in the abdomen.
"He's lucky he's not facing a homicide charge," Judge William Miller said.
Because Sanchez has no criminal record, the public safety assessment used to determine whether a defendant is held recommended he be released.
The judge disagreed.
While he acknowledged that under bail reform, the charge alone cannot be enough to hold a suspect, he said that there were other factors.
"I have to consider the rights of the victim as well, and the concern for the public that somebody would go drinking in a bar and wield a large kitchen knife," Miller said.
Sanchez will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
