A 34-year-old Salem man stabbed another man in his car in a grocery store parking lot, went across the street to another store and tried to steal a car in the early hours of Monday morning, the Salem Police Department said in a news release.
The stabbing and second attempt at a carjacking occurred over a 90-minute period before police arrested Roberto C. Chacon, according to the agency. Court records show his arrest comes six years after he pleaded guilty to stabbing his mother’s boyfriend in 2017.
Chacon was arrested on charges of second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and giving false information to a police officer. He was booked into Marion County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Monday afternoon, according to the jail’s roster.
Salem police said they responded around 12:30 a.m. Monday to a report of a stabbing in the parking lot of the Mega Foods Store, 3695 Devonshire Ave. N.E. The victim told police they were parked in the lot when a man approached their car, opened the driver door and repeatedly stabbed the driver.
“The driver fought back and was ultimately able to start his car and leave the area to get assistance,” according to the police statement.
The victim, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, described the attacker to police.
Just before 2 a.m., police responded to a report of a man trying to get into a car in the parking lot of the Walmart Superstore, 3025 Lancaster Dr. N.E.
The owners of the car were parked at an electric charging station at the time and immediately called police. While officers were talking with the victims at the scene, one officer noticed a man nearby who fit the description of the attacker in both incidents, the news release said.
Chacon initially gave police false information about his identity and had a knife when he was arrested, according to the release.
He pleaded guilty in Marion County Circuit Court in 2017 to second-degree assault and first-degree burglary.
Deputies at that time believed Chacon went to his mother’s home and stabbed her boyfriend “without provocation,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release following the incident. The victim suffered injuries to his chest and hand during the altercation.
Chacon was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison, with six years of post-prison supervision. He was also ordered to pay $6,000 to the victim.
Marion County prosecutors dismissed charges of attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of methamphetamine as part of his plea deal, court records showed.
Chacon has previous criminal convictions in Marion County dating back to 2008, including first-degree forgery, unauthorized use of a vehicle, fourth-degree assault and coercion.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
