Five arrested in stabbing at Santa Monica Pier
Five people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an altercation at the Santa Monica Pier early Saturday morning turned violent and two people were stabbed.
Witnesses said the five suspects began arguing with two people on the far west end of the pier around 1:20 a.m., and the altercation then turned physical, according to a news release issued by Santa Monica Police Sgt. Jay Moroso.
The group of five then attacked the other two with a knife, stabbing both victims multiple times in their torsos and arms, police said.
The victims were taken to a hospital where one underwent immediate surgery. Both victims are in stable condition and expected to survive, according to the news release.
The victims reported the incident to authorities after their attackers left the fishing deck, the release said. Santa Monica police were called and began searching for persons matching the description of the assailants.
Police said officers found the five suspects walking east on the pier, and that the victims identified the suspects, who were arrested.
Araik Ovoian, 24, Gevork Bagdasaryan, 19, Alex Akob Akbari, 18, all of Burbank, and Agavni Manukyan, 21, of Glendale, were booked for attempted homicide, with bail set at $1 million each. The fifth suspect was a 16-year-old from Burbank. He was booked into juvenile hall, police said.
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