Seattle man charged after pregnant girlfriend is beaten, stabbed

A SeaTac man who police say beat and stabbed his pregnant girlfriend, leaving the woman and the unborn child with near-fatal injuries, was charged Wednesday with four counts of assault.

Carlos Diaz-Galvin, 24, had been drinking when he got into a fight with his girlfriend, Hortencia Salas, inside her home in the 1400 block of North 49th Street late Friday night, according to court charging documents. The court papers say Diaz-Galvin shoved Salas down a flight of stairs and then stabbed her in the stomach when neighbors tried to help her leave the home.

Diaz-Galvin then threatened a neighbor before running off, the charging papers say. Seattle police found Diaz-Galvin about three blocks from the home near Woodland Park Zoo.

Doctors at Harborview Medical Center were unsure at first whether Salas and her unborn child would live, Seattle police said. Salas underwent open-heart surgery because the knife punctured her heart, police said. She is 5-½ months pregnant.

By early this week, the conditions of both Salas and the child were upgraded to serious, and police said both are expected to survive.

Diaz-Galvin has been charged with first-degree domestic-violence assault, second-degree assault, third-degree assault and fourth-degree child assault. He has a prior conviction for harassment and is being held at the King County Jail without bail because of immigration issues

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com