Residents fear for their safety after a series of stabbings of innocent bystanders in Long Beach. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News on June 16, 2023.
Long Beach police are investigating another stabbing of an innocent bystander two weeks after a man armed with a screwdriver attacked and stabbed several people at a playground.
The latest attack happened near Alamitos Beach next to the International Tower. A man and his girlfriend were confronted by another man that didn’t know, yelling and threatening them before pulling out a weapon and stabbing the man in the chest.
Neighbors say it’s just another example of how unsafe they feel in the city and they want more to be done.
“I am scared, honestly I'm scared,” Sandra Hernandez said.
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Hernandez was dismayed to hear of the latest stabbing here along Ocean Blvd Thursday, just 17 days after a man armed with a screwdriver terrorized a playground, stabbing at least two people before being shot and arrested by police in Belmont Shores.
Police say that attack appeared to be unprovoked. Hernandez says she has seen these unproved attacks unclose.
Hernandez works at a gas station off PCH and Magnolia where she says she has been threatened several times, attacked and robbed.
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“I’m at work. I have to worry about my safety, but I also have to make sure my daughters get home safe,” Hernandez said. “It’s a constant thing that is going around this area and I noticed it’s getting even worse.”
Since September of last year, a man was stabbed to death after being confronted outside a gay bar off Broadway.
A month later, a woman waiting for the bus was stabbed to death by a man who stabbed several people before being arrested on Alamitos beach. In each case, unprovoked attacks.
After the playground attack in May, neighbors say they’ve seen an increase of aggressive people roaming the streets and causing problems.
“It’s embarrassing to have this happen in our city,” said Dave Sherlock, a Long Beach resident.
Mayor Rex Richardson visited the playground after that attack, met with the business districts and touted the beefed up quality of life teams working with the unhoused and mentally challenged populations. But neighbors like Hernandez say it’s not enough.
“We see that nothing is being done, so people are just brushing it off, like ok well next time, I’ll just try and survive, hopefully nothing happens to me,” Hernandez said.
NCB4 reached out to the mayor's office for a comment and have not heard back.
Police are continuing to search for the stabbing suspect in this latest attack. They have not released any description of the suspect.
