Santa Fe police arrested a 31-year-old local man early Wednesday morning after he slit his friend's throat during an argument in a moving vehicle, police said.

Tim Herrera, seated behind the driver, continued to stab the man after first slitting his throat as he drove through the Las Acequias subdivision near Calle Atajo and Airport Road, said Santa Fe police Sgt. Louis Carlos. The driver, who is in his 40s, immediately pulled over and confronted the suspect, who then fled on foot, Carlos said.

Another man in the car, who didn't participate in the altercation, drove the victim to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. The victim was later flown to University Hospital in Albuquerque, where he was in stable condition, Carlos said.

"It sounds like he's gonna pull through," he said.

The suspect and victim had been drinking together at the Cowgirl BBQ restaurant in downtown Santa Fe hours before the incident, Carlos said. However, Herrera had become belligerent at the bar, and servers cut him off and asked him to leave, he said.

The three men then drove around the city until the stabbing occurred about 4 a.m., Carlos said. The victim and the suspect, who are both Native Americans, were arguing about Native American land rights and tourists visiting New Mexico, he said.

Herrera didn't like tourists visiting the state, while the victim, who also lives in Santa Fe, said he approved of it, Carlos said. Herrera then stabbed the man, he said.

Herrera, who was later arrested at a friend's house on South Meadows Road, was charged with attempted murder and tampering with evidence.

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.