Staff Reports
GRAHAM COUNTY – A 16-year-old girl fought back against a violent intruder early Sunday morning, stabbing him multiple times as he brutally assaulted her mother in their Graham County home, authorities said. The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Javier Ramirez, was later booked into jail on several charges after receiving treatment for his injuries.
The incident unfolded around 2:15 a.m. on South Onsurez Lane, south of Safford and off Highway 191, when the teenager called 911 to report the ongoing attack, according to Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred. Dispatch logs captured the girl’s frantic pleas: Ramirez had entered the home uninvited, assaulted her mother with her two younger sisters, ages 8 and 5, also in the home. The mother was kicked in the head at least five times, her mouth bleeding profusely, while Ramirez grabbed the girl by her arms and throat, deputies were told.
The girl informed deputies that she had heard noises and found Ramirez inside her home demanding to know where her mother was. After the teen said she didn’t know, Ramirez kicked in the bathroom door where her mother was located and began the assault, knocking her to the ground and repeatedly kicking her.
Believing her mother’s life was in danger, the girl rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and stabbed Ramirez. Undeterred, he turned on her, slamming her against the wall while continuing to kick the mother, who was beginning to lose consciousness and could only respond with body language, according to dispatch notes. Amid the struggle, the girl stabbed him again—once more in the chest and once in the back—before Ramirez wrested the knife away, fled outside, and collapsed in the bed of a gray or black pickup truck that had dropped him off around 1:40 a.m.
The first deputy on scene secured the injured suspect behind his patrol vehicle as medical personnel rolled in. Ramirez, described as wearing a black Los Angeles cap and a black long-sleeve shirt and possibly under the influence, was combative during transport. He was medically discharged from the hospital around 4 a.m. and was booked into the Graham County Jail on charges of aggravated assault, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, and criminal damage.
The mother did not require hospitalization, though paramedics were requested for evaluation. The two younger sisters were unharmed but present during the chaos. Records show Ramirez and the mother had a romantic relationship, marked by prior domestic disturbances that prompted deputy responses.
Allred described the girl’s actions as a desperate act of protection. “This girl said, ‘Hey, I thought he was gonna kill my mom doing that kind of stuff.’ So she went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and the guy wouldn’t quit,” the sheriff said. “She stabbed him with it… She thinks, in the midst of all the scuffling, and the guy ends up going back outside.”
No charges have been filed against the teenager, who acted in what appeared to be defense of her family. The investigation remains ongoing, with the sheriff’s office emphasizing the dangers of domestic violence escalations.
