A Southern California man, Michael Roque, remains hospitalized after being brutally beaten and stabbed by his neighbor. The attack occurred on the morning of July 22 as Roque, 35, was leaving his Loma Linda apartment and heading to work around 8:30 a.m.
Roque’s neighbor, Mark Eldridge, 37, allegedly approached him from behind and struck him in the head with a rock. Eldridge continued the assault by beating Roque with the rock, attempting to slice his throat, and stabbing him on the side of his face and head with a knife.
San Bernardino County deputies responded to the scene and found Roque bleeding profusely on the ground. “It was a nightmare,” said Raul Gomez, Roque’s father. “That’s the only way I could put it, at that point. You can’t believe something like this would happen.”
According to Roque’s family, he and Eldridge did not know each other. Roque was rushed to the Loma Linda Medical Center, where he was placed in an induced coma in the ICU. Gomez believes Eldridge targeted Roque and waited for the right moment to attack.
Authorities received a call from Roque reporting the assault. Around the same time, they also received a call from Eldridge claiming a burglary had taken place at his apartment. Deputies later determined that Eldridge’s residence “lacked forced entry or any evidence to suggest a break-in.” Evidence of the assault was found, and Eldridge was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He was later booked at the West Valley Detention Center for attempted murder and is being held on $500,000 bail.
On Saturday, Roque awoke from his coma and was able to speak a bit, but still appeared disoriented and confused. Doctors revealed that a 3-4 inch portion of the blade used in the attack remained lodged inside his head. “Doctors told Michael if they remove it, he will bleed out and if they leave it there, it can cause infection and possibly kill him,” said Jaime Roque, the victim’s cousin, on a GoFundMe page. “Doctors have let Michael make the decision and he said to keep it in.”
Roque, who recently started a new job at UC Riverside after working at Loma Linda Medical Center, is hoped to make a full recovery. “He’s a happy, fun-loving guy,” Gomez said emotionally of his son. “He loves life, loves his work, loves his friends. Just a great guy.”
The motive behind the brutal attack remains under investigation. A GoFundMe page to help Roque’s family with medical expenses can be found here.