Oxnard : Knife Fight Leaves Two Combatants in Intensive Care

An argument between a group of recent immigrants from Mexico and a band of Oxnard residents erupted in a knife fight that sent three of the combatants to the hospital, authorities said Friday.

One of the immigrants and an Oxnard teen-ager remained in criticalcondition in intensive care at St. John’s Regional Medical Center Friday with knife wounds, a hospital spokeswoman said.

A third man was treated at the hospital for a stab wound to his hand and later released.

The incident occurred after five recent immigrants visited a downtown Oxnard bar Thursday evening, said Oxnard Police Sgt. Denny Phillips.

While there, the men got into an argument with some area residents.

As the men walked home in an alley behind the 1900 block of San Gorgonio Avenue in the La Colonia area of east Oxnard, they were challenged by a group of Oxnard residents whom Phillips described as “second-, third- and fourth- generation” Americans of Mexican descent.

The confrontation quickly escalated when someone pulled out a knife, Phillips said.

Juan Rodriguez, 26, an immigrant, was stabbed in the side and a 16-year-old third-generation Oxnard resident was stabbed in the back, he said.

Another of the immigrants, 20-year-old Miguel Rojas, was stabbed in the hand with a broken bottle, Phillips said.

Phillips said recent arrivals from Mexico are often subject to intimidation by area residents.

“For some reason, the locals pick on them, perhaps because they are vulnerable,” Phillips said.