Man arrested, charged in connection with Halloween stabbing

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - Police have arrested a man in connection with a Halloween stabbing that sent the victim to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The incident took place in the early morning hours at a complex on Franklin Avenue. The victim, Ethan Nei, told officers that two men came into his apartment, armed with guns, and tried to rob him. That, he said, led to a fight in which he was slashed across the stomach.

While police were searching the area, Daniel Vega, 25, walked into a nearby hospital suffering from cuts, as well. They said the vehicle he arrived in matched a description of the vehicle owned by a woman who was inside the apartment with the victim at the time of the incident.

The investigation later determined that the woman was Vega’s wife -- Caitlin Alejandro -- and that she had driven Vega and another man to Nei’s residence, leaving them in the truck while she was inside. She allegedly drove Vega to the hospital for treatment after the incident.

Arrest records show that Vega claims he and the second man entered the home carrying BB guns after “waiting on Caitlin to get money from Ethan” and that “Ethan just started to attack them with a knife,” leading to the stabbing injuries.

Vega faces three felony counts: burglary with serious bodily injury; burglary with a deadly weapon; and battery by means of a deadly weapon.