Victim of Stabbing at Local Baptism Party Recovers in Time to Testify

On Nov. 17, 2012, what should have been a joyous occasion for one family turned bloody when one guest was stabbed.

At a baptism party at the Highlands Community Club at 1665 Fernside St., police were called when a fight broke out between several guests. 

One guest, a 24-year-old man, thought he had been punched in the stomach, then looked down and saw that "his abdomen had been sliced open." He was also slashed in the arm several times.

The victim was transported to the hospital and underwent surgery for his multiple stab wounds.

Friday, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office said the victim has sufficiently recovered from his injuries, just in time to testify against the man who stabbed him that night.

Yasmani Moreno Ramirez of Redwood City, 28, was arrested that night when Redwood City police officers responded to the scene and found him armed with a pocketknife. 

Later, the DA's Office learned that Ramirez had reportedly felt the victim had "disrespected his wife" when he put his arm on her shoulder and asked her to dance that night. A fight broke out, with several other guests joining in, and Ramirez reportedly took the pocketknife out and stabbed the victim.

Ramirez is in custody on $25,000 bail, and the DA's Office indicated he is ineligible for release on that bail. Ramirez was scheduled to be arraigned on all charges Friday morning in Superior Court in Redwood City.