Suspect identified in stabbings of mother and her 2 sons in Costa Mesa
A man arrested on suspicion of stabbing a mother and her two sons in Costa Mesa was identified by police Thursday.
Israel Larios Jr., 20, of Costa Mesa was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and burglary, Costa Mesa police Lt. Paul Beckman said. His bail was set at $500,000.
Police who responded to a report of a stabbing at an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Wallace Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday found a 39-year-old woman and her two sons, ages 11 and 17, suffering from stab wounds, police Sgt. Dan Miles said.
After being treated at the scene, the mother and 17-year-old 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, Beckman 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 the man 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.
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