Police shoot man suspected of stabbing 1 person with screwdriver, injuring 4 others

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Police in Southern California shot a man who allegedly attacked five people on Tuesday, stabbing one person with a screwdriver and injuring four others with kicks and punches, authorities said.

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The incident occurred in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach at about 11:54 a.m. PDT, The Orange County Register reported. The stabbing victim was seriously injured by the 31-year-old man, while the other four suffered minor injuries, according to the newspaper. They were treated at the scene and released, Brian Fisk, a spokesperson for the Long Beach Fire Department, told the Los Angeles Times.

The alleged assailant was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, the Long Beach Post reported.

According to police, the random attacks began when the suspect allegedly began kicking and punching a man and woman near the city’s popular commercial district, the Register reported.

Police said the man then moved to a playground at nearby Livingston Park, where he allegedly assaulted a man who dropped a 2-year-old child from his hands, according to the newspaper.

“I heard the guy attacked a man inside the park,” Marie Sunderland, a 30-year resident in the Belmont Shore neighborhood, told the Register. “This park is always filled with children, I can’t believe someone would threaten the safety of kids.”

The suspect then walked to the corner of Park Avenue and 2nd Street and stabbed a man, the newspaper reported.

The suspect walked away from the scene and was shot by police while attempting to enter a residence in the area, according to the Post.

“This was random, and it did happen in a short period of time,” Long Beach Police Cmdr. Michael Pennino told reporters.

“It hits close to home,” Ray Vannatta, a longtime resident, told the Post. “It lets you know you should always be aware of your surroundings.”

The suspect, who has not been publicly identified by police, likely faces charges of attempted murder and several counts of assault with a deadly weapon, Pennino told reporters.