Man Stabs Girlfriend at Los Alamitos Racetrack, Police Say
A 38-year-old woman was stabbed in the abdomen by her boyfriend in the grandstand at Los Alamitos Racetrack when it was filled with spectators early Saturday evening, police said.
Ventura Orantes, 46, of Inglewood was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he was spotted running away, authorities said. He was detained by the track security officers, who turned him over to the police.
Police said they found the victim, Maria Dejesus Aceves, a track employee and resident of Orange, in a restroom. She was treated by paramedics and transported by helicopter to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where she was listed in stable condition Saturday night after undergoing surgery.
Police said Aceves told them that her boyfriend had approached her at work in the grandstands and the two had argued. Aceves said when she refused to leave with him, he stabbed her with a knife. The stabbing occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. on the second floor mezzanine of the grandstand, police said.
The knife was confiscated, police said, and Orantes was being held Saturday night in the Cypress city jail with bail set at $250,000. He was expected to be transferred to Orange County Jail in Santa Ana.
The case is still under investigation. Racetrack officials would not say what job Aceves holds there and refused to comment on the incident.
Times correspondent Steve Anderson contributed to this story.
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