Man charged in Riverhead restaurant stabbing

One man is under arrest and another fighting for his life following a stabbing in a restaurant in Riverhead early Tuesday, police said.

Riverhead Town police said officers responding to a 911 call about an assault inside the Casa Rica Restaurant and Sports Bar found a 35-year-old man lying on the ground near the rear of the building, stabbed several times in the abdomen.

Police said Elmer Mirand-Depaz, 28, of Vail Avenue in Flanders, was located "a short distance" from the scene. He was arrested and charged with first-degree assault. Police said a weapon also was recovered.

The victim, whom police identified as Hugo Alberto of Riverhead, was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center. He was later transferred to Stony Brook University Medical Center because of the extent of his injuries and remained in critical condition Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the assault.