Malden Man Facing Assault to Murder Charges After Alleged Stabbing

Late Friday night, a 23-year-old Malden man was arrested and charged with armed assault to murder in connection with the alleged stabbing of a Somerville man at a Cambridge pub.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday morning, staff at Tommy Doyle’s Pub in Cambridge allegedly attempted to break up a fight between two men at the bar. During the struggle, one of the pub’s bouncers was stabbed and wounded.

Cambridge Police arrived at the Harvard Square bar at 1:50 a.m. and report they found the victim, a 48-year-old Somerville man, seated at the bar and bleeding from his chest. He was alert and informed the officers that while trying to break up a fight in the upstairs bar, a customer had stabbed him near his armpit.

According to police, the suspect, later identified as Ricardo Garcia, 23, of 41 Playstead Road, Malden, was subdued by bar staff, including one bouncer who heard the call for help via a staff radio.

Police found Garcia in the upstairs bar being held on the floor by bar staff. Garcia was allegedly lying on top of his arms and refused to extend them. According to police, it took two police officers as well as Tommy Doyle’s staff to pull Garcia’s arms out from underneath his body so that he could be handcuffed.

Once handcuffed, Garcia was treated on scene by EMTs for a bloody nose and cuts and bumps on his head. But, according to police, he allegedly remained “combative,” with police and EMTs, and he allegedly spit blood on one officer multiple times.

A bloody blue folding knife bearing a Navy Seal emblem was allegedly found in Garcia’s pocket. Five pills were also allegedly found in Garcia’s pocket and entered into evidence. They were later identified to be one morphine pill (an opiate), two Klonopin pills (a sedative-hypnotic), and one Prochlorperazine/Compazine pill (an anti-anxiety medication used to treat schizophrenia as well as nausea and vomiting).

Garcia was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital where he was treated. While there he was arrested and charged with armed assault to murder, resisting arrest and possession of Class E drugs.

The victim from Somerville suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at an area hospital. Dan Riviello of the Cambridge Police stated via e-mail that the victim remained alert and responsive during a later interview with police at the hospital.

The other man involved in the fight was apparently escorted from the bar by Tommy Doyle’s staff before police arrived.