Drunken Melee Resulted in Multiple Stabbings

An alcohol-fueled confrontation in Long Beach early Tuesday left five men with stab wounds, police said.

Officers were sent about 2 a.m. to the 1100 block of East Fourth Street and found four men with stab wounds, said Long Beach police Sgt. Brad Johnson.

The four, whose names were not released, were transported for hospital treatment. Officers learned of the fifth injured man a couple of hours later when he sought medical treatment.

None of the injuries was life-threatening, Johnson said. Police did not release the men’s names.

“The investigation reveals that all subjects were involved in a physical fight after leaving a local establishment,” the sergeant said.

The stabbings took place just as bars were closing. According to Long Beach police Lt. David Faris, the incident began with a verbal confrontation among some drunken people, one of whom pulled a knife.

Police shut down Fourth Street from Nebraska Avenue to Almond Street until at least 5:30 a.m. while investigating the melee. No arrests had been made by late afternoon.

Johnson also said there did not appear to be any gang involvement in the stabbings.

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock