Probe Ordered in Knifing of Woman Outside Court

The county Board of Supervisors, responding to the stabbing of a woman outside a Van Nuys courtroom, on Tuesday ordered an investigation to determine what steps should be taken to beef up security.

Shirley Wells, 33, was stabbed six times by her estranged husband Monday after refusing to speak to him, police said. Alvin Wells, 33, was arrested after several bailiffs wrestled him away from his wife. She later held a news conference at Holy Cross Medical Center, where she is recovering from a punctured lung, and blamed the incident on a lack of security at Van Nuys Superior Court.

“If a person is not safe in a courtroom or outside a court, where are they safe?” Supervisor Kenneth Hahn asked. The board instructed the Sheriff’s Department and court officials to determine what can be done to improve security at courthouses.