New Year’s Eve Knife Fight in Grant County

One man is in jail and another remains hospitalized after what police in Grant County are calling a violent knife confrontation on New Year’s Eve.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to the 15,000 block of Road T.5 Southwest near Mattawa where they learned that 34-year-old Mario Cortez and his adult male roommate had gotten into an argument that escalated into violence.
Deputies say the roommate first swung a knife, cutting Cortez on the nostril.

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Witnesses were able to separate the two men, but authorities say the dispute resumed a short time later when Cortez used the knife to cause a serious injury to his roommate’s arm, along with less severe wounds to their chest and hands.

The roommate also suffered a head injury after being struck with a beer bottle and was airlifted to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

Meanwhile, Cortez was arrested and booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault, domestic violence, and making threats to kill.