Police: Tampa man wields machete at his cousin

TAMPA - A family argument fueled by alcohol and a machete put a Tampa man behind bars.

At about 6:45 p.m., Juan Carlos Alvarez-Lopez, 46, (left) was arguing with his cousin, who lives with him at 2016 E Ocaloosa Ave., an arrest affidavit states.

Alvarez-Lopez grabbed a machete and tried to stab the unidentified cousin in the stomach, but the cousin snatched the weapon away, police said.

Then they used their fists.

Police found Alvarez-Lopez passed out drunk beneath a car, according to the affidavit. The cousin suffered minor cuts to his stomach and hands.

Alvarez-Lopez was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer