Alhambra police search for suspect in Home Depot stabbing

Alhambra police are searching for a man suspected of stabbing and seriously injuring another man in a Home Depot parking lot Friday.

Officers responded just before 9 a.m. to reports that a man had collapsed after being beaten and stabbed multiple times, said Sgt. Jerry Johnson, a spokesman for the Alhambra Police Department.

The victim, whose name has not been released, had driven into the parking lot at the store on South Marengo. One other person was in the car.

Police say the victim got out of his vehicle, a Saab, and approached the suspect, identified by authorities as Juan Manuel Bello Morales, 36, a day laborer known to frequent the area in search of work.

According to witness reports, the two were engaging in what seemed to be a friendly conversation when suddenly Morales began punching the victim, Johnson said.

“He’s punching him repeatedly, pulls out a knife and starts stabbing him,” Johnson said.

The victim suffered a laceration to his throat. He was taken to a county hospital, where he remained in “serious but stable condition,” Johnson said.

Morales escaped on foot and remains at large, police said.

The motive for the violence and the relationship between Morales and the victim are unclear, Johnson said.

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Twitter: @emfoxhall

emily.foxhall@latimes.com