An altercation on Santa Barbara’s Eastside led to a fatal stabbing early Sunday, according to Santa Barbara police.
At about 2 a.m., 9-1-1 dispatchers received a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 500 block of North Milpas Street, between Cota and Haley streets, Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said.
“Multiple officers responded to the scene, and located a victim who had been stabbed,” he said.
Ragsdale said the male victim was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where he died of his injuries.
His identity was not released pending notification of relatives.
“The initial investigation revealed the victim and the suspect had some sort of confrontation prior to the stabbing,” Ragsdale said. “After the stabbing occurred, the suspect fled the area and is currently outstanding.”
The stabbing appears to be an isolated incident, Ragsdale said, and is not believed to be gang-related.
The investigation was continuing, and anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call police at 805.897.2355.
This is the second homicide this month in Santa Barbara, after a woman was found dead March 14 in a parking lot behind a Lower State Street business. A suspect has been arrested in that case.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.