Two arrested for stabbing 28-year-old man in Merced, deputies say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A pair of men who attempted to ambush a Merced County deputy are in jail.

Jose Ibarra and Juan Velasco are suspects in a stabbing that broke out in Merced yesterday.

The two men are accused of stabbing a 28-year-old victim near the intersection of 19th Street and Martin Luther King Junior Way.

Deputies say Ibarra and Velasco approached a detective's car with handguns, mistaking the law enforcement officer's car for that of a rival gang member's.

When the officer stepped out of the car, Ibarra and Velasco realized they had just walked up on police and tried running away.

The two have been booked into the county jail on attempted murder charges.