Man in custody after allegedly stabbing girlfriend in Glendale

A 20-year-old Burbank man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of stabbing his girlfriend in the stomach and arm after she tried to break up with him in Glendale, police said.

Luis Garate, an alleged gang member, was taken into custody in Burbank on suspicion of attempted murder and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. He was being held Monday in lieu of $531,000 bail.

Garate’s girlfriend, who authorities did not identify, remained hospitalized Monday at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, where she was being treated for her injuries, Lorenz said.

Detectives on Monday also secured a court order for Garate to stay away from his girlfriend, Lorenz added.

Witnesses told police that the couple “had an ongoing tumultuous relationship,” Lorenz said.

He allegedly choked his girlfriend for an unknown reason, prompting her to end the relationship while they were in the bathroom of his parent’s home in the 1400 block of Dixon Street, according to police.

Garate allegedly threatened to kill her, pulled out a knife and stabbed her, police said.

Garate’s mother allegedly immediately separated the couple, prompting him to flee.

When officers arrived at Garate’s home, they found his girlfriend crying and covered in blood, according to police. She was seated in a chair and gripping a white towel over a stab wound on her left arm.

The couple, who had been dating for a few years, had been living at her parent’s home in Burbank, according to police.

Burbank police had previously arrested Garate on March 26 on outstanding warrants for spousal assault, failing to appear in court or pay a fine and driving without a license, according to the department’s booking reports.

He was convicted in December 2010 of spousal assault, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA