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- Ezekiel Paul Griffis pleaded not guilty to felony charges stemming from a stabbing.
- Griffis is accused of stabbing five men in a late-night assault in Old Sacramento.
- A judge ordered Griffis shall remain in jail and deemed him ineligible for bail.
A 19-year-old man accused of stabbing five people in a late-night assault over the weekend in Old Sacramento made his first court appearance since his arrest on Saturday.
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On Tuesday afternoon, Ezekiel Paul Griffis of Sacramento was arraigned on five counts of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the stabbing near Front and K streets.
Griffis stood inside a holding cell in the courtroom, wearing a black jail inmate T-shirt and orange pants. He spoke briefly in court, telling the judge he believed an attorney had been hired to represent him but didn’t make it to court Tuesday.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge David Bonilla appointed the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office to represent Griffis. His attorney entered a not guilty plea on behalf of her client and denied enhancements to the charges.
When he was booked Saturday at the Sacramento County Main Jail, Griffis had his bail set at $250,000.
At Tuesday’s arraignment, the defense attorney told the judge that Griffis has no previous felony or violent convictions and no failures to attend court hearings. She said Griffis works two jobs, one for a flooring company and another at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant, to help support his family and was willing to accept any pretrial court conditions to have a chance to post bail.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office asked the judge to keep Griffis in jail and deem him ineligible for bail as he awaits prosecution. The stabbing victims suffered serious injuries, the prosecutor told the judge, including one victim who suffered multiple stab wounds and a lacerated liver in a crime that involved significant violence.
Bonilla said pretrial conditions for Griffis while free on bail would be enough to ensure the public’s safety. The judge ordered Griffis to remain in custody without bail.
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At the request of the defense attorney, Bonilla scheduled an Aug. 7 preliminary hearing for Griffis for the court to determine whether there is enough evidence for the defendant to stand trial.
The stabbing was reported shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. Officers arrived and found three men with stab wounds. The wounded men were taken by ambulance to a hospital, the Sacramento Police Department said.
Two other men wounded in the Old Sacramento stabbing were found at a hospital. Police said all five men were in stable condition as of Saturday
The stab wounds varied and included the stomach, head and kidney areas, according to dispatch audio reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
Suspects fled the scene in a white Jeep Cherokee that was flagged by Flock cameras near Rancho Cordova, according to the dispatch audio, where at least two people were stopped.
Griffis turned 19 on Monday, jail records show. All other involved persons are believed to be in their 20s, according to the dispatch audio, and alcohol may have been involved in the incident.
Griffis was among three persons of interest detained by police after the stabbing. On Saturday evening, the Police Department announced that Griffis was arrested and booked at the jail. Police said the Old Sacramento stabbing was likely an isolated incident.
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