Man, Youth Held in Stabbings at Beach

Detectives have arrested a Saticoy man and a Ventura teen-ager in connection with the beach stabbings of two Ojai teen-agers last Sunday.

Ramon Mendez Lopez, 26, is being held at the Ventura County Jail on suspicion of violating his parole. Police plan to charge him with attempted murder on Tuesday, said Detective Douglas Auldridge of the Ventura Police Department. The 15-year-old is being held at Juvenile Hall, he said.

Both were questioned on the night of the stabbing but were released because police had inadequate evidence, Auldridge said. After an investigation, he and Detective Pat Stevens arrested Lopez at his home about 11 a.m. Friday and the teen-ager about 4 p.m., he said.

The teen-ager, who police believe associates with members of a Ventura gang called the Avenue Gangsters, is the main suspect, Auldridge said. It is unclear whether the attack was gang-related, he said.

One stabbing victim, 15-year-old David Foyle, remains in critical condition in the Ventura County Medical Center with more than 20 stab wounds, Auldridge and a hospital spokeswoman said. David and a companion, Brady Sabat, 19, were beaten with sticks and stabbed repeatedly at the beach across from Ventura Harbor about 12:10 a.m. last Sunday.