Bystanders Stop Sexual Assault Of Child At Denny's: Long Beach Police

LOS ANGELES, CA – An attempt to rape a child was thwarted at a Long Beach Denny's Sunday when a Good Samaritan saw the alleged attack and sought help, Long Beach police said.

Bystanders intervened, and by the time police arrived, the suspect was suffering from multiple stab wounds, according to authorities. Police identified 33-year-old Jimmie Kirkwood as the assault suspect hospitalized with stab wounds. Kirkwood was arrested on suspcion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 1, false imprisonment, and assault with the intention to commit rape, according to police.

Now detectives are working to determine what happened Sunday.

Long Beach Police Department officers were called to the Denny's in the 600 block of Long Beach Boulevard around 1:39 a.m. after getting a call about a sexual assault involving a minor. According to police, several bystanders detained the suspect and held him until police arrived to take him into custody. Officers went up to the suspect and found out that he had stab wounds on his body.

“At this time, it is unknown if the suspect sustained injuries during this incident or during an unrelated incident; the investigation to determine how he sustained the injuries is ongoing,” Long Beach police told KTLA in a statement.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.