4 dead after series of stabbings in Garden Grove, Santa Ana

4 dead after series of stabbings in Garden Grove, Santa Ana

by Eric Licas

Six people were injured, four of them fatally, in a series of robberies and stabbings that started in Garden Grove and ended Santa Ana Wednesday evening, Aug. 7, authorities said.

Police arrested one man at a 7-Eleven at Harbor Boulevard and 1st Street, one of nine crime scenes in the two-hour spree that straddled the two cities.

The four dead are all men, two other people were hospitalized in what authorities described as violent robberies.

“There is no threat tonight after this suspect was taken into custody,” Garden Grove Police Chief To DaRe said during a press briefing in front of an apartment complex on the 12000 bock of Jentges Avenue.

There, officers had responded to a burglary reported at 4:09 p.m., GGPD Lt. Carl Whitney said. As they were investigating, police were notified of a robbery at a house at 1304 Chapman Ave. A silver Mercedes was spotted at that residence; investigators believe the car was driven by the man who had broken into the apartment earlier.

The police were then called back to the apartment complex after reports at 5:04 p.m. of two men who were stabbed, Whitney said. One man was pronounced dead on the balcony of the apartment. The second was found inside and taken to UCI Medical Center, but also died.

Authorities were then notified of another robbery at a check cashing business at 12845 Harbor Blvd. Police said the man then drove down Harbor Boulevard and robbed an insurance business. A woman who was working inside was seriously injured.

A third robbery took place at the Chevron gas station near Harbor Boulevard and Banner Drive. A man’s nose was nearly severed from his face in the attack.

Both the employee wounded at the insurance business and the motorist injured at the gas station were taken to UCI Medical Center and are expected to survive, Whitney said.

Then, at about 6:15, police spotted the Mercedes a 7-Eleven near Harbor and 1st. A security guard was stabbed there and his gun stolen. He also died.

Santa Ana police officers made contact with man there, and arrested him without incident. He is 33 years old, police said.

Another stabbing had taken place previously at a Subway restaurant across the street. Both the security guard and the restaurant employee died.

“Our officers responded quickly, rapidly,” Whitney said in the press conference. “”We have no motive at this point.”

All credit goes to Eric Licas Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com