Long Beach stabbing: man assaults 5 with screwdriver near the Belmont Shore area, including 2 year old child. Man restrained by police gunfire. No known motive.
A deranged man went on a stabbing spree just before noon on Wednesday in Long Beach, California – with no less than 5 individuals assaulted near the Belmont Shore area.
The un-identified man was contained after responding police shot at the man, injuring him. Long Beach Fire Department officials told KTLA multiple people were being assessed by paramedics. A screwdriver was identified as the assault weapon.
A Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson said one of the victims was transported to a local hospital, after sustaining stab wounds, while the other victims were treated at the scene.
Breaking: Multiple people stabbed in Long Beach, California, Suspect shot#California #LongBeach#Stabbing
Read more here:https://t.co/t7RUE2aoiq pic.twitter.com/dn59HTy2To— Newstongue (@newstongue) May 30, 2023
Update: A man who allegedly assaulted 5 people, including one man who was stabbed, was shot and wounded by police in Long Beach. Here’s the weapon police say he used in the stabbing https://t.co/46I84ZxYUW pic.twitter.com/OlFC5VveTB
— KTLA (@KTLA) May 31, 2023
No known motive in sprawling assault
The person who was shot by police was also taken to hospital, officials added where he was treated for non life threatening injuries to the upper body.
As per the LA Times: Police reported that the suspect assaulted a woman and man near Park Avenue and Livingston Drive. He then walked east and entered the Livingston Park Playground. There, the suspect punched a man, who dropped the child he was carrying to the ground. The child and man suffered minor injuries.
The suspect then headed toward 2nd Street, where he stabbed a man in the upper body with a screwdriver, Long Beach police confirmed.
It was on 2nd Street that Long Beach police shot the suspect, about six minutes after receiving a call. According to police, they fired as the suspect tried to enter a residential property.
Subsequent accounts told of the child, a 2 year old who was playing at Livingston Park as one of the victims stabbed by the assailant.
No known motive for the attack was immediately known.
One local resident, Ray Vannatta, said that he was in his home nearby when his wife alerted him to severe commotion as the stabbing spree unfolded.
New: Belmont Shore mom says her 2 year old playing at Livingston Park was one of the victims stabbed by a man who was later shot by Long Beach police. The child is OK @kcalnews #stabbing #longbeach pic.twitter.com/VEnVCQb5pg
— michele gile (@michelegiletv) May 30, 2023
‘It hits close to home’
He claimed that when he looked across at a park, he saw what appeared to be a fight, where one man was continuously punching another person while onlookers screamed and pleaded for help.
Vanetta said he called police before approaching the situation, where he saw the assailant was brandishing what was later identified be a screwdriver.
Another witness added that the attacker fled the scene before they heard multiple gunshots.
‘It hits close to home,’ Vannatta said. ‘It lets you know you should always be aware of your surroundings.’
This is a developing story, and more information will be provided as it is released.
