Mom and 2 sons stabbed after they apparently interrupt a burglary in Costa Mesa; man arrested
A mother and her two sons, one of them 11 years old, were stabbed Tuesday night in Costa Mesa, apparently when they interrupted a burglary at their home, authorities said.
Police said they arrested a 20-year-old Costa Mesa man near the scene, and he is being held at Orange County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police have not released the names of the man or the stabbing victims, citing an ongoing investigation.
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
Police responded to a report of a stabbing at an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Wallace Avenue at about 7:30 p.m., Costa Mesa police Sgt. Dan Miles said.
When officers arrived, they found a 39-year-old woman and her two boys, ages 11 and 17, with stab wounds.
A 39-year-old woman and her two sons, ages 11 and 17, were stabbed Tuesday night in this apartment complex on Wallace Avenue in Costa Mesa, police said.
After being treated at the scene, the mother and one son were taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana. The 11-year-old was taken to Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where he underwent surgery for multiple stab wounds to his torso and is in stable condition, police said.
All three are expected to survive their injuries, Miles said.
A Police Department statement Wednesday morning said a responding officer saw a man matching a witness’s description fleeing the Westside apartment complex, followed by bystanders.
The officer chased the man to a nearby apartment complex and held him at gunpoint until additional officers arrived and he was taken into custody, police said. Officers found two knives in the man’s possession, police said.
An officer suffered an arm injury during a confrontation with the suspect while searching him, police said.
The police statement said the department’s preliminary investigation suggests the mother and her sons returned home and interrupted a burglary in progress.
Alex Garcia, 19, a cousin of the two boys and a nephew of the mother, said in an interview Wednesday morning that the family arrived home from one of the boys’ soccer practices and found a man hiding in the 17-year-old’s room. Garcia said the man had snuck in through a window.
The man stabbed the three as the mother tried to get him out of the home, Garcia said.
Garcia said he saw the aftermath of the attack.
“It was scary,” he said. “I couldn’t stop crying.”
Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
