Knife fight leads to arrest in Basalt

BASALT – A Basalt man was arrested Sunday and faces hate-crime charges after getting into a knife fight, then taking out his frustrations on his roommates, who had nothing to do with the altercation, police said.

Carlos Urbina, 36, was arrested for felony menacing, criminal mischief and bias/hate crime, according to Basalt Sgt. Stu Curry. The incident started about 3 a.m. at the Pan and Fork Mobile Home Park. Urbina and another man returned to the trailer that Urbina rents after a night out on the town, Curry said. An unknown issue sparked a fight, and both men allegedly drew knives.

The other man left the trailer, leaving Urbina in a rage, the police report said. Urbina, who is from El Salvador, started yelling that he hates Mexicans. He then allegedly kicked in the door of his roommates, a couple from Mexico and their one-year-old child. Police said he then threatened the couple with a knife.

“This couple is sleeping and doing nothing wrong,” Curry said.

Urbina eventually ended the threat and passed out in his bedroom, Curry said. The Mexican couple reported the incident the next morning to their landlord, a woman who lives in a different trailer at the Pan and Fork. The landlord called authorities. Curry said he woke up Urbina at 3 p.m. Sunday and found him still intoxicated from the night before. Urbina had knife cuts on his chest and stomach. They weren’t life-threatening, Curry said.

Urbina told police that the man he got in a fight with was also a Carlos from El Salvador. Curry went to the address in the South Side subdivision where the other suspect allegedly lives but was told he didn’t live there. Police will continue to hunt for him.

Curry said it was never clear from his questioning of Urbina why he took out his frustrations on the Mexican couple when his beef was with another Salvadoran.

Urbina was in transit to Eagle County Jail as of 5:15 p.m. Sunday, so it wasn’t determined yet if he will face immigration issues.