Two dead, three injured in Huntington Beach stabbing. One person is in custody
A person is in custody after several people were stabbed Thursday night in Huntington Beach, leaving two dead and three others injured, according to authorities.
Police received reports of an assault with a deadly weapon near the intersection of 16th Street and Pecan Avenue around 11:15 p.m., the Huntington Beach Police Department said in a news release. When police arrived at the scene, they found several people with significant injuries.
Two people died from their injuries and three others were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
One of the victims who died at the scene was due to get married in September, according to his friend Deandre Adams.
“We were having a good time earlier in the evening, just watching the fireworks on the sidewalk, and we were talking about going to the [Huntington Beach Pier], but we decided to stay here,” said Adams, who was visiting from Los Angeles.
Around 11 p.m., he was inside his friend’s home when he heard a woman screaming outside.
“I go out and see a lot of commotion,” Adams said.
A woman in a car drove up the residential street, stopped the car and a man jumped out with a knife, he said. It looked like there were three people in the car, Adams said. Two bystanders tackled the man who appeared to be armed with a knife, but not before he had stabbed several people, including Adams’ friend, who died at the scene. Both victims died near their homes, Adams said.
Police arrived shortly after and arrested three people who appeared to be in their early 20s, Adams said.
The woman who drove the car to the scene was handcuffed by police, Adams said, and she appeared shocked.
He did not want to reveal the names of the victims out of respect for their families. Police have not released any information about the victims or possible suspects. As of Friday morning, the bodies of both victims remained at the scene.
“People here are terrified,” Adams said about his friend’s fiancée. “The men who died were laughing before all of this happened, just trying to enjoy this time together.”
Huntington Beach police have not revealed a motive behind the stabbing.
Huntington Beach hosted daylong activities starting with the annual parade and ending with fireworks on the beach.
One person is still in custody, according to police, but it’s unclear if they are a suspect.
The incident is under investigation by the major crimes unit. Huntington Beach police said they believe the stabbings were an isolated event.
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