Police: Local suspect arrested after throwing rock at man's face that broke three of his teeth

A 20-year-old local suspect was recently arrested after police say he threw a rock at a man’s face, splitting the man’s lip and breaking three of his teeth.

Antonio Ethan Cruz, of Chubbuck, has been charged with one felony count of aggravated battery following a police investigation last week.

Pocatello and Chubbuck police on April 14 met with a man and a woman at the Motel 6 in Chubbuck to speak about an incident that had occurred in Pocatello a few days prior, according to a police report the Idaho State Journal recently obtained.

The man told officers that he was sitting on a bench outside of a laundromat on Yellowstone Avenue when a large rock suddenly struck him in the face, causing a laceration to his upper and lower lip which required stitches, said police, adding that the rock also broke three of the man’s teeth, two on the top and one on the bottom.

The victim told police that he suspected Cruz threw the rock at him because he was involved in a verbal dispute with him at a home in Chubbuck during the early morning hours of April 10, police said.

Officers then went to the home in Chubbuck to speak to Cruz about the incident, who was “belligerent and did not want to cooperate” with them, the report says. Eventually Cruz calmed down and told officers about the verbal dispute that had occurred a few days prior but did not say anything about throwing a rock, according to the report.

On April 16, officers obtained video surveillance footage from the laundromat, which showed Cruz and the victim getting into a verbal argument in front of the business, police said. About 10 minutes later, Cruz was observed stepping around the northwest corner of the building and throwing a rock at the victim, which struck him in the face, the report says.

The victim then fell to the ground holding his face, police said.

Cruz was then charged, arrested and booked inside the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello.

He appeared in front of 6th District Judge Todd R. Garbett for an arraignment hearing on Monday, during which his bond was set at $25,000.

Cruz is due back in court on May 2 for a preliminary hearing involving prosecutors attempting to prove there is enough evidence against him to elevate the case from the magistrate to district court level for trial.

If convicted of the felony aggravated battery charge, Cruz faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.