The 44-year-old man accused of stabbing a Long Beach officer last week has been charged with attempted murder. He appeared in court on Wednesday for his arraignment after having to be forcibly removed from his cell, according to authorities.
Wearing a sleeveless jail-issued blue jumpsuit while sporting a black eye under his right eye, Arturo Fernandez loudly asked Judge Alfred Coletta why his first court hearing hadn’t happened within the 48-hour window required by law.
The judge replied that Fernandez had refused to come out of his cell on Tuesday and the judge had to sign an extraction order to get him to court on Wednesday.
Fernandez said this was the first he had heard of that. The judge offered to show Fernandez a video of the extraction, but his defense attorney declined on his behalf.
Fernandez is accused of stabbing an LBPD officer with a pocketknife multiple times.
Police said the attack happened at about 2:42 p.m. on Friday near the intersection of First Street and Pacific Avenue, about a block from where the Long Beach Grand Prix was taking place.
A woman who saw it unfold said Fernandez was arguing with a group of younger men before police arrived and tried to calm down the situation. The LBPD said Fernandez attacked during a “use of force” by police, but they did not specify what force they used.
The wounded officer — a 6-year veteran on the force — was taken to a hospital for treatment but has since been released, police said. There was a visible cut to his forehead, according to multiple witnesses at the scene.
Geoff Lewin, the prosecutor on the case, said the officer is recovering from injuries “that do not appear life-threatening.”
Fernandez is facing five felony charges: attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and two counts of resisting an executive officer.
If convicted, he could face up to 100 years to life in jail.
Prosecutors say Fernandez has a lengthy criminal history dating back to juvenile court in 1996. His convictions include seven separate assaults in Los Angeles, Kings and Kern counties, along with a DUI offense.
He has been sentenced to a total of 30 years in state prison since 2005. Most recently, in November 2023, Fernandez was sentenced to 4 years for battery by a prisoner on a non-prisoner.
He was released in October 2024, according to a state prison spokesperson.
Fernandez is now being held on $2.29 million bail. He has not yet entered a plea to the current charges.