An arrest has been made in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man at a punk rock show in Santa Ana, police said Friday.
The stabbing occurred around 10:30 p.m. Thursday at Underground DTSA at 220 E. Third Street, said Santa Ana Police Department Sgt. Michelle Miller.
The suspect was identified as Juan Angel Rivera, 21, of Santa Ana.
The victim was identified as 23-year-old Nathan Joe Alfaro of Westminster. State records show Alfaro was a licensed security guard, but police say he wasn't working at the concert.
Friends said Alfaro worked part time as a cashier in the cafeteria at Golden West College and was at the club to see a friend's band play.
"We thought it was gonna be a fun normal night like usual — but things didn’t turn out right," said a friend who was at the club at the time of the shooting, and asked not to be identified.
The group of friends went to see their friend’s punk rock band called ghali, but soon after the music started, one man in the crowd got rowdy and started pushing people trying to start a mosh pit.
“He just pushed people and was throwing elbows and kind of grabbing people trying to force them into a pit … people didn’t want to pit," Alfaro's friend said.
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Witnesses said an altercation broke out between several men who were upset with the guy who was trying to start the mosh pit.
“Just all out violent kind of dude. And one dude tried to wrangle him so he wasn’t elbowing people in the face. They collapsed on stage just this mass of people,” said Laena Geronimo.
Alfaro's friend said when the melee was broken up, there was blood on the ground and they realized he had been stabbed several times. Alfaro stumbled outside to the sidewalk and collapsed.
“I ran out to get security and that’s when I found my friend Nathan laying on the ground,” his friends said. “He was just in shock, didn’t know what was going on.”
He was rushed to the hospital but later died of his injuries.
The club closed down after the stabbing, canceling performances by several other punk bands that had been scheduled. It's not clear whether the club will reopen for its scheduled show Friday night.
Anyone with additional information about the stabbing was asked to call Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8701.
Rivera is expected to be arraigned Monday.
Toni Guinyard and Kevin Labeach contributed to this report.
