Man with ties to MS-13 charged in Lake County, Indiana stabbing of teen girl: sheriff

LOWELL, Ind. (WLS) -- A 26-year-old man has been charged after a teen girl was stabbed at her brother's baseball game in unincorporated Lowell, the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

Dimas Gabriel Yanes has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery posing substantial risk of death, battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person under 14, battery by means of deadly weapon and intimidation in the Labor Day weekend incident, police said.

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The Lake County Sheriff's Department said the stabbing happened around 3:45 p.m. Saturday at the baseball fields near a VFW hall located at 17401 Morse Street in Lowell.

A man wielding a butcher-style knife randomly attacked the 13-year-old, police said.

Officials previously said the girl was 14.

He also tried to stab the girl's mother, who intervened in the attack, police said.

The girl was treated for her injuries at a hospital before being released.

ABC7 Chicago spoke with Matthew Ramian, the coach of the baseball team that was playing when the stabbing happened.

"He just jumped on her and pushed her over," Ramian said. "Then proceeded to pull out what I called like a bowie knife, a big 16-, 18-inch knife and just started swinging it on her."

Ramian said several dads chased after the suspect before losing track of him.

The suspect was chased into a wooded area behind homes in the 6100-block of Oak Valley Drive, the sheriff's department confirmed.

After asking for the public's helping finding the 26-year-old person of interest earlier Sunday, the sheriff's department said he is now in custody.

The sheriff's department believes the suspect was trying to cut his hair to change his appearance just before he was arrested.

The sheriff's department also said Yanes was deported to Honduras in 2018, but reentered the United States illegally and committed crimes in at least five states, including Nassau County, New York; Madison County, Illinois; Cobb County, Georgia; Williams County, Ohio and Lake County, Indiana.

His criminal history includes battery, trespassing, intoxication, attempted burglary and now attempted murder, police said.

The sheriff's department said he had been classified as a risk to law enforcement officer safety and to national security due to documented ties to international gang MS-13.