SALINAS, California (KSBW) — A child custody exchange between two parents on Christmas Day turned violent after police say the child’s father got into a fight with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.
“It started off as a child exchange and turned out to be an attempted murder,” said Salinas police Cmdr. Luis Bravo.
Salinas police say the two parents met in the parking lot of Natividad Medical Center Christmas evening to do that child exchange when the father and the boyfriend started arguing.
“Unfortunately, both parties did not get along. They got into a verbal altercation, and then one of the parties ended up getting stabbed,” Bravo said.
Police said the boyfriend was allegedly stabbed by the toddler's father, Gabriel Gallegos, and then walked into the hospital to get medical attention.
“I believe one stab wound to the abdomen and one to the forearm, luckily they were at the hospital parking lot, so the victim ends up walking over to the emergency room where he was treated for his wounds,” Bravo said.
The stab wounds were not life-threatening but Gallegos, 27, was arrested for attempted murder and child cruelty. Gallegos is being held on $1 million bail.
Police said the incident serves as a reminder that the Salinas police station is a designated safe zone for child exchanges and anyone looking to make a sales transaction.
The station lot has designated parking and surveillance cameras zeroed in on them.
“We have those two spots behind me, we have also 24-hour surveillance that's being monitored by the watch commander on duty and on top of that, it's being recorded 24-7, so it's a good environment safe environment for people to meet,” Bravo said.
Police say to take extra precautions when doing a custody exchange or purchase; stay away from secluded areas and meet in a public place, if it's at night, make sure it's well-lit, bring a friend, and always beware of your surroundings.
