Man arrested after stabbing LBPD officer
Arturo Fernandez, 44, was charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a police officer multiple times Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Police arrested a Torrance man after he allegedly attacked an LBPD officer with a knife Friday afternoon.
Long Beach police say 44-year-old Arturo Fernandez was armed with a knife during a fight with others in the 200 block of West Broadway around 2:42 p.m. When LBPD officers arrived on scene following reports of "unknown trouble," they attempted to deescalate the situation to convince Fernandez to surrender, the department claims.
A "use of force" then occurred when officers were trying to get Fernandez to surrender, during which he produced a knife and stabbed one of the officers multiple times, according to the LBPD.
Four uniformed air marshals from the Department of Homeland Security were working on a security assignment near the attack and rushed to help the officers, police said. With the assistance of the air marshals, the LBPD officers arrested Fernandez, police added.
The wounded officer was briefly hospitalized but has since been released, according to authorities.
After being medically cleared at the hospital, Fernandez was booked at the Long Beach City Jail for attempted murder, police said. His bail was set at $1 million, authorities added.
In a statement following the arrest, LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish said he was grateful the officer was recovering.
“I would also like to commend the additional LBPD officers who were on scene and the federal air marshals who helped take this dangerous suspect into custody without further incident,” Hebeish said.
The department will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office next week, according to the LBPD.
Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call Homicide Detectives Juan Carlos Reyes and Lisette Temblador at 562-570-7244.
We need your support.
Subcribe to the Watchdog today.
The Long Beach Watchdog is owned by journalists, and paid for by readers like you. If independent, local reporting like the story you just read is important to you, support our work by becoming a subscriber.
