By Allison Jarrell, Special to the Independent
Laguna Beach police arrested a teen aged boy suspected of stabbing a man with a knife on a public trolley Monday afternoon.
The victim, a homeless man who lives in Laguna Beach, was treated for a small cut on his left hand,Updated:suffered injuries to his hand, according to Sgt. Jim Cota. The suspect was taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon and later transported to juvenile hall.
Cota said officers were dispatched to Third Avenue and Coast Highway at 3:55 p.m. on Monday, July 9, for a stabbing that had occurred on a trolley.
At the scene, officers detained two people in handcuffs. Witnesses came forward and told police officers that a suspect had fled toward Lovers Beach.
“Two officers on the hillside above the beach tried to make contact with the suspect who was hiding in a cavern on the beach,” Cota said. “The suspect eventually came out and initially acted as if he had no idea what was going on. When he realized he had no place to run, the officers were able to take him up the hillside where he surrendered.”
When asked where he hid the knife, the suspect admitted to burying it in the sand. An officer was able to successfully retrieve the weapon.
Cota said through the course of the investigation, police learned that the suspect and his friend possibly tried to rob two girls of one of their backpacks prior to the stabbing. This initial incident occurred near Solana Way and South Coast Highway. Cota said the girls resisted, got off the trolley and contacted their parents.
It was after this incident that a man on the trolley exchanged words with the suspect, which led to a verbal argument. Cota said the suspect pulled out a 3-4 inch folding knife and stabbed the victim in the hand. The physical and verbal altercation continued, and the suspect broke a window while trying to climb out of the trolley. He then fled to the beach, where he was later apprehended.
