SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man who stabbed a fellow passenger during a fight on a Greyhound bus, forcing the driver to pull over on Interstate 5 near University City, was sentenced today to 17 years in state prison.
Gilbert Dominguez, 36, pleaded guilty last August to an assault with a deadly weapon charge for the July 11, 2018, stabbing, which happened as the bus was making a run from San Ysidro to Oceanside via northbound Interstate 5.
Dominguez also pleaded guilty to a separate assault count for beating a fellow inmate on Oct. 28, 2018, while in custody for the stabbing.
As the coach approached Genesee Avenue, a quarrel between Dominguez and the 27-year-old victim turned violent, prompting the driver to pull over onto the right-hand shoulder, police said.
After pulling to a stop, the driver was able to separate the combatants and push Dominguez out the door. The defendant then ran off up a hillside embankment into the eastern reaches of the UC San Diego campus.
Paramedics took the injured man to nearby Scripps Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening stab wounds, including at least one to the neck. A short time later, police arrested Dominguez near UC San Diego Thornton Hospital.
Dominguez was originally charged with attempted murder, but that count was dismissed when he entered his plea.
In addition to the stabbing and jail assault, Dominguez's sentence was increased due to other prior convictions, which included a carjacking he committed as a juvenile.