A man charged with stabbing a coworker at a Redwood City restaurant last week believed the victim had spit in his food the day before, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.
Kenneth Charles Holden, 34, was an employee at Donato Enoteca at 1041 Middlefield Rd., and the victim was the restaurant’s manager. Police responded to the restaurant about 7:39 p.m. Friday and found the victim with two stab wounds in his back.
The victim was reportedly talking to another employee when Holden entered the restaurant, stabbed him in the back twice with a serrated blade knife and said, “This is for spitting in my food,” prosecutors said.
Holden then fled in his car, but a witness followed him and managed to take a picture of the suspect vehicle and license plate.
The victim was transported to Stanford Hospital to be treated for non life-threatening wounds, police said.
After Redwood City police issued a countywide alert, Daly City police pulled Holden over in a traffic stop about 1:20 a.m. the following morning, police said.
He was booked into San Mateo County Jail.
According to prosecutors, the restaurant manager believes Holden was upset about food he was served the day before. Holden had accused the manager of spitting in it and talking about him behind his back.
Holden was supposed to appear in court Tuesday but refused to come, and so the judge continued the case till Thursday for the initial felony arraignment. His bail was set at $50,000 and he remains in custody.
