Authorities said the suspect was arrested in a traffic stop after two people were injured in a Green Bay home.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay police used camera technology to track and arrest a man accused of fleeing after a machete attack that seriously injured his ex-girlfriend and another man inside an Edgewood Drive home, authorities said.
The arrest of David Mairena-Garcia, 29, came about three hours after officers were called to the home on April 20. Prosecutors later charged him with six counts, including two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. The case shows how a violent domestic-related call moved from an injured-patient response to a vehicle search, a traffic stop and the recovery of an alleged weapon.
Police first responded about 5:15 a.m. to the 900 block of Edgewood Drive for a report of an attack with an edged weapon. Officers found a 26-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man with serious injuries. Medical workers treated them at the scene before both were taken to a hospital. The man had machete wounds to his shoulder, forearm and shin, while the woman had cuts to her hand and neck and an injury to her head, according to the complaint. Police have not said who made the emergency call or how long the victims waited for help.
The complaint says the suspect was not a stranger. Mairena-Garcia had a prior relationship with the woman, and they have a child together. Investigators said he used a key to enter the residence before the attack. The woman told police he did not speak before he began swinging the machete. “David did not say anything, he just went in and started cutting them and attacking them with the machete,” she said, according to the complaint. She also reported that he had made several death threats to her by text message and in person before that morning.
The male victim’s account gave police an immediate path to follow. He said he ran from the bedroom, made it outside and fled down Edgewood Drive. Police said Mairena-Garcia chased him with the machete, then left the area in a vehicle the victim believed was a black SUV. At some point during the attack, the complaint says, Mairena-Garcia beat the woman and chased her outside as well. Officers had to treat the home, the street and the suspect’s possible route away from the scene as parts of the same investigation.
Investigators turned to Flock cameras after the suspect left. Police said the camera system helped them track the vehicle, leading to a traffic stop at about 8:35 a.m. Mairena-Garcia was taken into custody during that stop. Public reports do not identify the officers who made the stop, the road where it happened or whether any other people were inside the vehicle. Authorities also have not said whether a weapon was visible during the stop. The timing, however, placed the arrest within the same morning as the attack. After the arrest, investigators said Mairena-Garcia spoke about what happened inside the home. The complaint says he told police he saw his “wife” and another male in his bed and lost his mind. He allegedly said he blacked out because of rage and was thinking about “just wanting to kill them.” Police said he also told them where he had thrown the machete along a highway. Officers recovered the weapon from that location. The recovery became a central link between the home, the chase, the vehicle search and the suspect’s alleged statement.
Prosecutors filed charges the next day. The six-count case includes two attempted homicide counts, along with other charges connected to the alleged entry into the home and the injuries. Local reports said Mairena-Garcia faces armed burglary and aggravated battery counts. A judge set bond at $750,000 cash. If convicted of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, he faces the possibility of life in prison. Court proceedings are expected to test the police timeline, the victims’ statements, the suspect’s alleged admissions and the use of camera data in finding him.
The case also drew federal attention after Brown County Jail records showed an immigration detainer hold. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Mairena-Garcia is a citizen of Nicaragua who entered the United States unlawfully in 2019 in the Rio Grande Valley and had a 2022 final order of removal. ICE said it lodged a detainer asking local officials to turn him over to federal custody rather than release him into the community if the local case allows release. The state prosecution and federal immigration process remain separate tracks. Several details remain unclear from the public record. Police have not released the full criminal complaint, 911 recordings, body-camera footage, medical updates or any surveillance images tied to the search. Authorities also have not said whether the key used to enter the home had been returned, whether the alleged threats were reported before April 20 or whether prosecutors will seek to use those messages as evidence of intent. The victims’ long-term conditions have not been released.
The investigation now rests on the chain police say they built that morning: a home entry, two wounded victims, a fleeing vehicle, camera hits, a traffic stop and a recovered machete. Mairena-Garcia remained in custody as the Brown County case continued toward its next court date.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.