WEST VALLEY CITY — A man wanted in the stabbing of two people at a party, including his own brother, was arrested late Monday night.
Erik Bertelsen, 19, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of attempted murder. He was hosting a party at his parent's house, 3310 W. Entrada Ave. (3965 South), over the weekend when he started exhibiting some bizarre behavior.
Bertelsen was "displaying knives and a firearm while talking about killing people," according to Salt Lake County Jail records.
At one point during the evening, he got into an argument with a person at the party. He left the room, but then came back "with his face painted black and displaying two large knives," jail records state.
He walked into the room stating that "someone was going to be stabbed, the devil is here, and he is going to kill," the jail report states.
Bertelsen then stabbed his brother in the arm and stabbed another man in the groin, arm and calf, according to jail records. He later told police he stabbed his brother "because the devil possessed him and told him to do it because they wouldn't leave his property."
A SWAT team surrounded the house about 6:30 a.m. Monday. But when they entered, they discovered Bertelsen wasn't there.
"Later that evening, we got a tip that Eric was sitting in front of a grocery store," said West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan.
Officers went to the store, near 2700 West and 3800 South, and saw the man sitting in front, he said. Bertelsen also spotted the approaching detectives and ran inside the store.
Police found Bertelsen hiding in a beer cooler, and he was taken into custody.
One of the stabbing victims was given stitches and released from a local hospital Monday night, McLachlan said. The other was scheduled for surgery Tuesday but was not in life-threatening condition, he said.
Bertelsen was also booked into jail on an outstanding warrant of assaulting a police officer. He had been released Aug. 10 from the Salt Lake County Jail, due to overcrowding, according to court records. A new warrant was issued Aug. 21, after he failed to show up for a scheduled court hearing.