Santa Barbara police are investigating a gang-related stabbing that took place downtown just before 1 p.m. on Monday.
The altercation left a 31-year-old local man with a minor stab wound on his back, and three suspects are now in custody, according to Sgt. Riley Harwood.
Additional suspects were being sought, he added.
The department received multiple calls reporting a fight taking place on the first block of West Carrillo Street, Harwood said.
One of the callers reported that an assault with a knife was taking place, and Harwood said that the incident seemed to be an altercation between multiple suspects and two victims.
The fight originated downtown but culminated near the intersection of Chapala and Carrillo, where one of the victims was stabbed once in the back.
“It is a minor stab wound, and he declined medical treatment,” Harwood said, adding that investigators said the incident appears to be gang-related.
Harwood could not say what city the man was from but that he was local, that witnesses are being interviewed, and investigators were working to establish the extent of the crime scene.
Anyone with information about the incident or additional suspects is asked to call the department at 805.897.2300.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.