During interviews with the victims, identified by their initials, and other witnesses, law enforcement learned that one victim was attacked by two men yelling in Spanish with “knives and hammers” near South Bozeman Avenue and East Olive Street, until the suspects chased down another victim.

Another victim said that he had been involved in a fight outside the Rocking R Bar — in which some of his friends partook — with two men. After the fight, the two men went to a silver Nissan Armada while the victim and his friends left the scene. The group began to run down Bozeman Avenue to hide as they were followed by the two men.

Gonzalez told law enforcement that he and Echeverri were antagonized and that during a fight outside the Rocking R Bar, Gonzalez was stabbed in the hand. He and Echeverri then got into a silver Nissan Armada, hit a street sign and allegedly attacked one man and then another.

The first victim received “a severe and deep laceration to his face,” and lacerations to his shoulder, thigh and hand. The second received a “severe/deep laceration to his throat and lacerations to his face and arms,” according to charging documents.

Both were taken to the emergency room at Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center and treated for their injuries. Gonzalez also went to the emergency room at some point after the incident and was treated for the wound on his hand.

Gonzalez said he was armed with a wood chisel and “admitted to stabbing (one victim) in his torso,” according to the court document. He also said that Echeverri was allegedly armed with a “blue box cutter,” and “he thought Echeverri was the one who cut (the victim’s) throat.”

“Gonzalez recalled attacking one of the males, but seemed to become confused when we asked about the two separate attacks,” the court document said. “Gonzalez said he wished he could do things differently and said he would ask (the victims) for forgiveness,” and that “he began to cry and appeared remorseful.”

Echeverri provided less information to officers but acknowledged the fight outside the Rocking R Bar, taking photos of their injuries and discussing what to do. He did not recall “additional details after the fight,” documents show.

After the incidents, the two suspects disposed of their weapons in the dumpster behind the apartment building, Gonzalez said, and attempted to clean blood from the Nissan Armada.

Law enforcement did not recover the weapons.

At 2:06 a.m. on Wednesday, four days later, a BPD officer spotted the Armada near the intersection of Dell Place and East Story Street. The vehicle was surveilled until around 6:25 a.m. when Echeverri got into the vehicle and was subsequently arrested.

The investigation into the stabbings culminated that morning as the Bozeman Police Department and the Gallatin County Special Response Team launched a joint operation, first reported by the Chronicle. Numerous marked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles including an armored vehicle lined the street and nearby residents heard a loud bang and commands projected over a megaphone.

In tactical gear and armed with assault rifles, law enforcement detained an additional 16 men and so far, only Gonzalez and Echeverri have been charged.