A man was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday night after being stabbed by another man who may have tried to steal his car near the 2ND & PCH shopping center in East Long Beach, police said.
According to the Long Beach Police Department, the stabbing happened just after 9:30 p.m. in the 6200 block of Marina Drive, which is along a popular commercial and retail corridor.
Police say the victim saw the suspect attempting to steal his parked vehicle. When the suspect noticed he was being watched by the victim, he fled, according to the LBPD.
The victim followed the suspect and confronted him, but the interaction escalated when the suspect stabbed the victim multiple times in the upper body with a knife, authorities said.
Officers responded to the scene, and paramedics transported the wounded man to a local hospital for treatment, police said, adding that he is stable despite being in critical condition.
Officers, meanwhile, found the suspect nearby in the 6500 block of Pacific Coast Highway and chased him on foot to the nearby boating docks in the 6400 block of Marina Drive, police said.
There, officers saw the suspect was still in possession of a knife and attempted to de-escalate the situation, police said.
The suspect did not listen to officers’ commands and, at times, stabbed himself multiple times in the upper body, police said.
During this confrontation, police fired large-caliber foam rounds at the suspect, according to authorities, and eventually, he dropped the knife.
Officers took the man into custody and rendered aid until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene to transport him to a hospital. Police said he is in stable condition.
The suspect, who has been identified by police only as a John Doe, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and exhibiting a deadly weapon to resist arrest. His bail was set at $1 million.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.