Police up patrols after four overnight stabbings in Long Beach

Police in Long Beach have decided to increase their presence in the communities impacted by a series of stabbings that happened in one nine-hour span over the weekend. 

"The LBPD will have additional police presence today, including patrol officers and Neighborhood Safety Bike Team officers, to engage with residents and businesses," said a statement from the Long Beach Police Department. 

The statement laid out the circumstances surrounding each incident that happened between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, starting at around 6:20 p.m. 

It was then that officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of E. Pacific Coast Highway, where they learned that an argument had escalated into a fight. A male victim, who remains unidentified, suffered several stab wounds to the upper body and was rushed to a nearby hospital where they are in stable condition at the latest. No arrests have been made in this incident. 

Hours later, at around 2 a.m., officers were sent to the 5100 block of Second Street in the Belmont Shore area, where another physical altercation between two men escalated into a stabbing. One of the men was stabbed in the upper body and rushed to a nearby hospital where he is in critical condition. The suspect fled from the scene by the time officers arrived and has not yet been located. 

Within the same hour, at about 2:20 a.m., police were sent to a hospital after learning of two stabbing victims that had arrived a short time ago. They learned that two women had been involved in a fight in the 200 block of Pine Avenue with a third woman who allegedly stabbed each of the others in the upper body. Both were said to be stable as of Sunday evening. Despite their attempts to locate a crime scene officers were unable to do so. 

The fourth and final stabbing happened at approximately 3 a.m. in the 5100 block of Second Street, similar to the second stabbing of the evening. However, officers said that they did not believe that this incident was related to the first at that location. Officers were sent to a hospital almost two hours later, at around 4:50 a.m. after learning of a stabbing victim that had arrived. They learned that the unidentified victim was engaged in a dispute with a group of women when one suspect punched the victim and a second stabbed them in the upper body. The victim is believed to be in stable condition. 

Anyone who knows more in regards to any of the incidents is urged to contact detectives at (562) 435-6711.