Two male juvenile stabbing victims were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon as Santa Maria police investigated at least three separate areas reportedly connected to the crime.
Police were dispatched to northwest Santa Maria at approximately 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for what one officer called a complicated investigation.
Two victims were dropped off from a white vehicle near West El Camino Street and North Thornburg Street, police Sgt. Jesus Valle said.
The victims, a 15-year-old male and a 16-year-old male, both of Santa Maria, had serious injuries, police said. Their names or conditions were not released.
Valle said the two victims had been dropped off after a confrontation that occurred a block north of where the injured boys were found.
The altercation reportedly involved between seven and 12 people, Valle added.
“It sounds like there was some type of confrontation, altercation in this general neighborhood involving these two people. We don’t know if was amongst each other or if they were together but somehow they sustained wounds,” Valle said.
The stabbing is believed to have occurred on West Hermosa Street between Curryer Street and Thornburg.
While officers quickly cleared the scene on Thornburg, a segment of Hermosa remained cordoned off as a police crime scene unit representative took pictures and began to collect evidence in the area later Tuesday.
At the same time, several blocks south on Curryer, a police officer stood near a white sedan with at least one broken window.
A tow truck arrived to cart the vehicle — believed to be connected to the double stabbing — blocks south of the car’s location while a police officer stood nearby.
All three areas are being investigated in connection with the double stabbings, Sgt. Russ Mengel said.
“This is the first aggravated assault case of the year and is believed to be criminal street gang related,” police said late Tuesday night. There are no suspects in custody at this time and the investigation is continuing.”
The area where the stabbing victims were found is a few blocks from El Camino Junior High School, but all Santa Maria-Bonita School District campuses remain on winter break which ends Jan. 18 for students.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
