A man who police say fatally stabbed another man during a fight inside Dave’s Hot Chicken in Belmont Shore early Sunday morning has been arrested, according to authorities.
Huntington Beach resident Brandon Nguyen, 29, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder Monday at LAX airport, police said. Police did not say why Nguyen was at the airport, but they added he was being held without bail.
“We will not tolerate acts of violence in our community and we will commit all available resources to ensuring that those responsible for crimes like this are held accountable,” Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish, said in a statement Monday night.
Nguyen, according to police, stabbed a 20-year-old man during a fight inside the restaurant.
It’s not yet clear what prompted the fight, but a witness who asked not to be named told the Long Beach Post that a group of people had ordered food at the restaurant shortly before the brawl. After ordering, the group went outside to wait, the witness said.
Then, for some unknown reason, an argument broke out between the first group and a second group, the witness said.
A Dave’s Hot Chicken employee helped de-escalate the argument, the witness said, and the first group returned to the restaurant while the second group appeared to leave.
Support facts not fear
News happens fast. In the midst of crime, disasters and other breaking news, the Long Beach Post has reporters and photographers who run to the scene to bring you reliable information. If you value this vital community resource, support it with a tax-deductible donation.
But as the first group sat back down inside while joking and laughing, the second group returned and attacked them, the witness said.
The Post reviewed a video of the brawl, which shows someone then loudly screaming for everyone to get out.
Despite this, the fight continues, with people throwing punches, chairs and food, the video shows.
At some point, a man wearing a black shirt with a green jacket can be seen standing at the restaurant’s doorway and holding something in his right hand while fighting a man in a gray shirt.
The man in the green jacket suddenly lunges at the man in the gray shirt with his right hand, the video shows.
The man in the gray shirt can be seen flinching and then grabbing his chest. In the midst of the chaos, the man in gray throws one more punch toward another man involved in the fight, leaving a bloody handprint on the back of his white shirt, the video shows.
The video then shows the man in the gray shirt grabbing his chest while backing away from the fight. He can be seen bleeding profusely and using some sort of garment to apply pressure to his chest.
Officers were already nearby on another call when they were notified about the stabbing and rushed to the scene, according to authorities.
They tried to help the victim, who’d collapsed near the restaurant after apparently being stabbed in the upper body, video taken at the scene shows. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics then took the man to a local hospital, where he died, police said. Authorities have not publicly identified him.
Though the suspect fled the scene the night of the stabbing, police say they used security camera footage and worked with community partners to identify him as Nguyen. Police added that they served a warrant at Nguyen’s home following his arrest, but did not say whether anything related to the crime was found.
Detectives will present the case against Nguyen later this week to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for filing consideration, police said.
Councilmember Kristina Duggan commended police’s quick response to the crime in a statement Monday afternoon.
Duggan said she is working with the LBPD, Community Development, and other departments in the city to better understand the crime trends in the area and how to prevent them.
This includes increasing police overall presence and enforcement in the area, reviewing the number of alcohol licenses and their conditions, and requesting more DUI checkpoints, Duggan said.
“These actions are within our control as a City, but we need help. We can’t put officers at every corner to prevent crimes, so we need help from other parts of the justice system to serve as a deterrent,” she said. “People that commit crimes need to know they will face consequences and be held accountable for their actions.”
In response to the deadly stabbing, Dave’s Hot Chicken said it will reduce its operating hours from 10:30 a.m. to midnight and stop selling alcohol past 10 p.m. The restaurant previously stayed open until 2 a.m.
“The safety and well-being of our patrons and staff are of utmost importance to us, and we believe these measures are necessary to ensure a secure environment for the Belmont Shore community,” the restaurant said in a statement.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the suspect’s city of residence.