Man Fatally Stabbed, 2 Injured After Attack by Gang With Bats, Knives

One man was killed and two others suffered stab wounds in a street brawl early Thursday in a quiet residential neighborhood as about a dozen men with baseball bats and knives attacked four others who had stopped to visit a relative, according to police and one of the victims.

Arrested on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon was Felipe Moreno, 23, who gave police home addresses in La Habra and Placentia. Police were seeking others believed to have been involved in the fight.

A motive for the attack was not known Thursday, and the case remained under investigation, police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said.

By the time police arrived in the 400 block of North Valencia Street shortly after 2:30 a.m., the attackers had fled, according to Richard Riggin, 20, of La Habra, who sustained stab wounds in the head and face.

“They took off in a car,” Riggin said of the attackers, who ranged in age from the early 20s to 30s. “They knew they hurt that guy real bad.”

Riggin’s friend, Chris Sanders, 30, of La Habra, was stabbed in the shoulder but released from Friendly Hills Medical Center, according to a family friend at Sanders’ home.

But Kevin Iossi, 20, also of La Habra, suffered fatal stab wounds to the chest, according to Riggin and police.

“He knew he was dying,” recalled Riggin, who had more than 100 stitches in his face and head. “He had blood all over his chest. . . . He was screaming: ‘I’m dying, I’m dying! Help me!’ I was praying to God when that guy was dying.”

According to Riggin, he was picked up shortly after 2 a.m. by Iossi, Sanders and a third man, all intending to go out drinking. The third man, whom Riggin identified as Henry Rodriguez, suggested that they drive to Rodriguez’s aunt’s home on Valencia Street.

It was there that Rodriguez and another man began to argue, Riggin said.

“When we got out of the car there was only one guy,” Riggin said. “When we got up there (nearer the house), about 10 guys ran out with bats and knives.”

Riggin said he fled toward nearby homes, hoping to awaken someone, but that he was quickly surrounded by several attackers.

“I got stabbed in the face, and the knife just stayed there,” Riggin said. “It was like stuck in my face.”

“I didn’t have nothing to do with it. I just got beat up. It was hell. It was a pain.”

Riggin said he later identified Moreno as the attacker through police photos.

“I picked him out of a whole bunch of photos, and they said that’s the guy they have in custody,” Riggin said. “I remember him. I’ll never forget his face.”