ARLINGTON — Arlington police launched their first homicide investigation in the city in nearly 50 years Wednesday following the death of a man who was in a fight Saturday.
The death of Elliot Carbajal, 40, of Arlington, “will be very shocking to this community,” Arlington city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said Thursday.
Carbajal was well-known in Arlington, the town where he grew up. He often had a smile on his face and was easily recognized because he always wore shorts, no matter what the weather.
He was a “great guy with a great attitude,” his friend Mike Santos said. The two grew up together and were classmates at Arlington schools.
Carbajal was rushed by helicopter Saturday to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after apparently being strangled, according to a police affidavit filed Monday in Everett District Court. He survived until about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.
The Snohomish County medical examiner is expected to conduct an autopsy.
Robert L. Carlson, 40, and his son, Robert J. Carlson, 21, both of Arlington, were arrested in connection with the fatal attack.
Police on Saturday rushed to the intersection of Fourth Street and N. Olympic Avenue just after 1 a.m. to reports of a fight.
Officers found the father and the son sitting on a sidewalk. Carbajal was in the street, unconscious and not breathing, police said.
The father allegedly told police he tried to break up a fight between Carbajal and his son.
Court documents don’t describe what prompted the violence.
The father reportedly pushed Carbajal to the ground and held him down with both hands on the victim’s collar bone.
At one point, Carlson loosened his grip but continued to apply pressure, believing Carbajal was “playing possum with him,” police wrote in their report.
The older Carlson told police he didn’t let go until he realized Carbajal was motionless, police said.
The father and the son reportedly discussed taking Carbajal to the hospital but apparently chose to leave him on the ground.
Robert L. Carlson allegedly told detectives he “took it too far” and said he “wanted to pay for his mistake.”
Witnesses told officers they watched the older Carlson choke Carbajal for as long as five minutes, police said.
The father is charged with first-degree assault in Everett District Court. He’s being held on $1 million bail.
The son was jailed and remains behind bars on unrelated outstanding warrants.
Additional charges against both the father and the son are likely, Banfield said.
Prosecutors now are considering charging the men with second-degree murder, she said.
It’s the first homicide investigation within the city limits since 1962.
Lois Baldwin, 72, was found dead on Feb. 17 that year in what police believe was a botched robbery. The case remains unsolved.
Carbajal came from a large family with more than a dozen siblings, Santos said.
He worked various jobs and cared most about being close to the Stillaguamish River, where he enjoyed bonfires.
“That’s what he wanted,” Santos said.
Santos said many people in the community will be shaken up by the death.
“It’s terrible. We just can’t understand it,” he said.
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