Quick Take
At least two people were stabbed in an intense altercation Saturday in downtown Santa Cruz. In a statement, the police department said two people were transported to the hospital, and one man was taken into custody. There was no information immediately available about the severity of injuries.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
At least two people were stabbed in an intense altercation Saturday afternoon at the clocktower plaza in downtown Santa Cruz, during the weekly Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs meal distribution.
Details about the chain of events remain murky, but according to a Facebook post by the Santa Cruz Police Department, two people were transported to the hospital, and one man was taken into custody. There was no information immediately available about the severity of injuries, pending a further statement from the police.
Eyewitnesses said they saw two people stabbed by a man next to the clocktower, at the confluence of Pacific Avenue, Mission Street, Front Street and Water Street. The man who allegedly initiated the encounter was stopped down the block on Water Street, prompting police to extend the crime scene to the intersection of Water and River streets.
Jasmine Moffett, a volunteer for Food Not Bombs, said the altercation began when the stabbing suspect, whom she was serving at the time, cut the food line, aggravating the man behind him.
Moffett said the man behind the suspect punched him in the face. She said she tried to offer assistance to the man who had just been punched.
“I got him a paper towel and I asked him, ‘Hey, can I get you anything?’ He said, ‘No, can you get me a gun with ammunition?’” Moffett said. “I thought he was joking because he just got socked in the face.”
The frenzy of punching continued near the perimeter of the clocktower, when the man who was initially punched pulled out a knife, Moffett said.
“Everyone was trying to break it up,” she said. “ Everyone tried to keep it calm.”
John Asher, another volunteer with Food Not Bombs, said he saw a man sitting next to him get stabbed by the suspect. He said he also saw the suspect stabbing a second person with two knives.
Asher said he tried to stop the suspect from harming anyone else.
“I grabbed a piece of bamboo that I had sitting next to me and I ran up and started chasing him down the street,” he said. “We got to the street sign and he turned around and tried to stab me.”
Asher was put in handcuffs by police for chasing the man with his bamboo stick, but was released almost immediately.
Despite the violence that ensued on what was just a regular volunteer day for Food Not Bombs, Moffett noted that the food distribution continued.
“These people still need to get food,” she said. “It’s a really fantastic community, but unfortunately stuff like that happens, and I just hope that everybody’s OK.”
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