Police: Fight between homeless men ends in stabbing

An altercation between two homeless men Monday led to one of them being stabbed, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department.

The fight, reported by a nearby lifeguard, occurred at 5 p.m. on the beach below the 500 block of South Coast Highway, Lt. Jason Kravetz said.

Officers arrived at the scene and discovered one of the men being treated for a single stab wound.

The 42-year-old male victim was taken to Mission Hospital Laguna Beach with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Kravetz. He sustained a 4- to 5-inch stab wound to the left side of his chest.

The suspect, identified by police as 55-year-old homeless man David Prendez of Sacramento, had left the area, Kravetz said, but he was found minutes later on El Paseo Street.

According to a news release, the two men had been arguing over an incident that took place a few days before, with one man accusing the other of stealing property from him.

The argument ended with a fist fight and the stabbing, Kravetz said.

Prendez was interviewed and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Kravetz said. He was transported to Orange County Jail and held on $25,000 bail.

— Alisha Gomez

Twitter: @coastlinepilot