‘I was just in shock’: Man recalls moment he was violently stabbed at Long Beach farmers market

A quick trip to a Long Beach farmers market followed by an evening at the beach to watch the sunset was all Kenta Sasakado was looking forward to on Sunday afternoon. 

On Sunday, Jan. 19, the 26-year-old Cal Poly Pomona grad student was sampling apples and pears when he suddenly locked eyes with another man.

Before Sasakado could realize what was happening, he found himself bleeding on the floor as vendors rushed to his aid. 

The man had stabbed Sasakado eight times—twice in the chest, under his chin, his nose, skull, tricep, forearm and neck—narrowly missing an artery. 

“I was just in shock,” he said.

As the shock set in, thoughts kept racing through his head: “Why is this happening? Why did this guy choose me? What did I do to him?”

Sasakado was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital for treatment. The Long Beach Police Department identified his alleged attacker as Kevin Augustine, 37, of Downey.

Augustine was booked on one count of attempted murder and bail was set at $1 million, according to the LBPD. He was subsequently charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of aggravated mayhem, court records show. He also faces special allegations of use of a deadly weapon and causing great bodily injury, according to court records.

Sasakado is currently recovering from his injuries, but he’s concerned that he won’t be the last person to be injured in an unprovoked attack. 

“I’m glad they caught him, but I feel like this is a really big issue in general,” Sasakado said. 

The 26-year-old who is majoring in marriage and family therapy said his story is all too common. 

“I’ve read many articles about people who are severely mentally ill and they randomly attack people,” he said. “But to have it actually happen to you, it's a wake-up call.” 

His attacker, he said, appeared to be wandering around the farmers market in a state of psychosis. 

This attack has inspired him to find a way to spread awareness or start a movement to get people the help they need, instead of being left to the streets to fend for themselves. 

“There’s going to be another one of these cases — it's inevitable,” Sasakado said. “This stabbing isn’t going to be the last random stabbing in LA County.”

Sasakado also said he was thankful for all the people who stepped in to help him during the attack and in the aftermath.

A GoFundMe he started to help with medical bills and the recovery process has raised $7,750 out of its $9,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon. 

“It's really amazing how many people stepped in on the farmers market,” Sasakado said. “The fact that so many people stepped in to push him off me or make sure I don’t bleed out, it was really nice.”