Mesa man stabbed to death after dispute at a Mesa yard sale

One man is dead and another man in custody after a dispute over a parking space in Mesa on Saturday.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, officers responded to a call around 5:30 p.m. about a man shot or stabbed near North Hawes Road and East University Drive in Mesa. When officers arrived, they found a man with multiple stab wounds who died at the scene because of his injuries.

His identity was not released.

According to arrest documents obtained by The Arizona Republic, multiple witnesses told police the person who was stabbed was driving a black pickup truck and attended a yard sale at a nearby home.

Witnesses told police a man who was wearing a yellow or orange shirt, who police identified as David Cruz, 24, began to argue with the man because of the number of cars that were parked along the fence line, according to court documents.

Witnesses told police they did not know who started the fight at the yard sale, but said Cruz and the man began to fight when Cruz pulled out a knife, stabbed him and ran back into a home neighboring the yard sale, according to court documents.

Cruz was later arrested and officers performed a sweep of the residence where a pocket knife with what is believed to be blood stains on it was on the table, court documents state.

During an interview with police, Cruz said he approached the home of the yard sale to ask about several cars parked along a fence when he was surrounded by several people and hit in the throat, court documents state.

Cruz told police he swung the knife to defend himself after he became scared for his safety. He ran back to his home, called 911 and left the bloody knife on the table, according to court documents.

Court documents state police were able to confirm with the department's communications division that Cruz did call 911.

According to court documents, Cruz was booked on manslaughter charges due to conflicting stories between witnesses and Cruz.

Cruz's next court hearing was scheduled for Aug. 23, according to court documents.

Reach Breaking News Reporter Jodicee Arianna at  Jodicee.Harris@gannett.com. Support local journalism, subscribe to https://www.azcentral.com/.