MANITOU SPRINGS, COLORADO — The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man that they say is the suspect of a stabbing incident.
It happened Monday evening in the Barr Trail parking lot according to the sheriff's office, which begins west of Manitou Avenue in Manitou Springs near the base of the Manitou Incline.
Deputies say that multiple callers reported the stabbing just after 7:39 p.m. When the Manitou Springs Police Department arrived they found a man suffering from 15 stab wounds to the neck, arms, and head.
The man was identified as 60-year-old Eric Snay, and due to the life-saving efforts from the Manitou Springs Fire Department was able to be transported to a local hospital where he underwent life-saving surgery. The sheriff's office says that Snay is expected to survive.
On Tuesday morning officers with the Manitou Springs Police Department contacted a man that fit witness descriptions in the area of Ruxton Ave just west of the scene of the crime.
Officers apprehended 24-year-old Million Zimmerman and charged him with attempted first-degree murder. He is currently being held on a $1,000,000 bond.
Manitou Springs Police say they have received three calls for assault in the past year in the area from the roundabout on Ruxton Avenue to the Barr Trail parking lot. Police say two of those calls were related to domestic violence while the third was for a neighbor-to-neighbor conflict.
Many hikers in the Barr Trail area on Tuesday said the stabbing did not deter them from enjoying the outdoors. Jeff Peterson and Gabi Ferretti both traveled from Dallas, Texas to spend time on trails in Manitou Springs. The two said they were near the parking lot Monday night but left before the stabbing happened.
"If we would have stayed in the area long enough, that could have been something that we would have witnessed," said Ferretti.
"I would recommend out-of-towners, we don't want to be up here at night. We just don't know this area," said Peterson.
Susan Davies, Executive Director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition, said the incident is both surprising and disappointing.
"We like to think our trails are safe. We think they are safe," she said. "The reality is we have very few incidents like this. We really don't have many attacks on our trails."
She said it is always a good rule of thumb to hike in pairs and remain aware of your surroundings when outdoors.
It is unclear at this time if the victim and the suspect in the stabbing incident knew each other. This is an active investigation by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and we will continue to follow this story as News5 learns more.
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