Eastside man stabbed to death

A Costa Mesa man was stabbed to death Tuesday night during what police called a traffic dispute in a usually quiet area of town.

Around 9 p.m., Daniel Martinez Rios, 33, was found near his apartment at 2550 Santa Ana Ave. with several stab wounds. Police suspect that Rios was assaulted by his neighbor, 28-year-old Evelio Aguilar Gomez, after having a minor car accident with Gomez’s girlfriend.

“Basically, she called her boyfriend, and he was at a different location in the city, and he came over and got into a fight with the suspect and stabbed him multiple times,” Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Don Holford said.

Rios died at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana shortly afterward.

As of Wednesday evening, police had not found located Gomez, whom they described as armed and dangerous.

Witnesses said the attacker left the scene in a dark blue Ford F-150 truck and was last seen heading south on Santa Ana Avenue.

On Wednesday, Rios’ extended family stopped by to comfort his wife and three young children. His cousin, Hector Martinez of Anaheim, said Rios worked as a bolt-cleaner in Newport Beach.

“He was a really loving dad,” Martinez said. “He was a nice person, very caring with his children. He was a family guy.”

Neighbor Janie Marquis, who has lived in the Eastside Costa Mesa neighborhood for 18 years, said she was shocked when she drove home Tuesday night and saw yellow tape and police cars on her block.

“There’s hardly any crime here at all,” she said.