One person was killed Monday morning in a series of stabbings that occurred within a two-hour period in Long Beach that were all connected.
The first stabbing was reported at about 5:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach police told City News Service. A woman with stab wounds to her upper body later died at a hospital.
Details about her identity were not immediately available.
"I noticed the criminal was punching his victim, and I turned around and I told him stop," said witness Carlos Torres. "But then the victim said 'help me, he stabbed me,' and that’s when I saw the knife.
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"I ran into 7-11 across the street and I told them to call an ambulance because somebody got stabbed in front of me."
About an hour later, officers responded to the 700 block of Olive Avenue on a report of another stabbing. The victim suffered stab wounds to the upper body and was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
At about 7 a.m., officers responded to Ocean Boulevard and Fourth Place where they found two men with stab wounds to their upper bodies. One victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The other was treated at the scene.
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After an investigation police identified the individual involved with the stabbings as 21-year-old Yohance Sharp of Long Beach who was booked for one count of murder.
Police believe that the stabbings were unprovoked and that Sharp did not know the victims.
Sharp is believed to be responsible for all three attacks.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call police homicide detectives at 562-570-7244, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
