Man Wounded by Robber With Knife

A Chino engineer was assaulted in his car early Wednesday by a knife-wielding robber who became enraged when he only received $3, police said.

Arthur Stirrat, 57, was on his way to work at Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach about 4 a.m. when he got off the Artesia Freeway at Beach Boulevard in search of a restroom, said Buena Park Sgt. Lloyd Schwengel.

As Stirrat waited at a red light, the assailant climbed into the passenger seat and demanded money, Schwengel said.

After Stirrat turned over $3, the suspect “seemed to get upset because [Stirrat] didn’t have enough money, and he started attacking him,” Schwengel said.

Stirrat was wounded in the hands, arms, upper body and face in a struggle for the knife. He finally wrested the knife from the assailant and threw it out the window, continuing to fight with his fists until the man fled, Schwengel said.

Stirrat then drove himself to Friendly Hills Regional Medical Center in La Habra, where he was in satisfactory condition, police said.

Schwengel said Stirrat may have gouged the assailant’s eye or cut his face in the fistfight. Stirrat was not able to identify the exact location of the attack and by late Wednesday, police had not yet found the weapon.