Two people were killed and three others were hurt after a man stabbed multiple people on the Fourth of July in a California beach city.
Police in Huntington Beach received a call around 11pm on July 4 stating that a man was stabbing people near 16th Street and Pecan Avenue. A large group of family members and neighbors had gathered at the spot to watch fireworks.
A witness, Deandre Adams, told the Los Angeles Times that a woman pulled up to the group in a car, and a male passenger exited and began stabbing people on the sidewalk. Two of the men at the gathering rushed the attacker and tackled him. They held him down until police arrived.
When police arrived, they found “several victims with significant injuries,” ABC7 reports.
First responders with the Huntington Beach Fire Department said they found five people with stab wounds, though police have not provided details on the weapon used in the attack.
Two of the victims died at the scene, and three others were taken for treatment with non-life-threatening injuries. The victims have not been identified at the time of this report.
Adams was friends with one of the victims who died and told the Times that the man was engaged and was to be married in September.
Police took three people into custody, according to Adams — the woman driving the car, the man who stabbed the victims, and a third man who may have been a passenger in the car.
None of the suspects have yet been identified and Adams told the Times that the woman who drove the car appeared shocked at what occurred.
Only one of the three arrested people remains in custody. Police have not made clear if they are a suspect or are being charged with any crimes at this time.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether or not the suspect had any connection to the victims.
“As to the nature of how this happened, the events leading up to it, what transpired during, that’s all part of the investigation and we hope to have more details further on,” Jennifer Carey, a city spokesperson, told ABC7.
Police said there was no remaining threat to the public following the suspect’s arrest.
