By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
A Santa Paula man is recovering after he was stabbed in the neck Friday evening while walking down a residential street off Highway 150, an attack police are still investigating.
According to Santa Paula Police the victim, 20-year-old Honorato Garcia of Santa Paula, was walking south at approximately 7:46 p.m. in the 400 block of Ojai Street - just south of East Virginia Terrace Road - when he noticed another male walking far behind him. As Garcia continued to walk he realized the man was right next to him and Garcia heard the stranger say the name of an area gang in Spanish.
Then Garcia was stabbed once in the neck with a sharp object. Garcia managed to stumble into the yard of a nearby residence where people were gathered.
“He’s lucky he’s alive,” said Det. Sgt. Wally Boggess, as the “knife had gone right through his neck, one side to the other... what we have is what he told the guests and paramedics before he passed out. It was a really brief rundown to them... the info we got was double hearsay,” but Boggess said police do not believe the victim was a gang member.
Subsequently, “It’s hard to say what the circumstances were and we can’t speculate,” but the victim did reportedly tell others that the attacker had referred to an area street gang before he was stabbed. Boggess noted that Santa Paula Fire personnel notified police about the incident after they arrived on scene to treat the victim.
Santa Paula Fire EMTs and AMR Paramedics treated Garcia on scene before he was transported by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center Trauma Unit. Garcia underwent surgery at the hospital and has been listed in stable condition.
The suspect was described by Garcia as being a Hispanic with light skin, approximately 5’8” tall and wearing a plaid shirt and black pants. Boggess said detectives have yet to question Garcia in depth: “He’s in stable condition, but still incubated and sedated so we’re unable to talk to him right now.”
The incident occurred about two blocks away from the July 17 murder of 33-year-old Angela Bryant, who was shot in the 600 block of Ojai Street. Andres Rene Rodriguez, 28, of Oxnard, a documented gang member, and Melissa Marie Salazar, 35, of Santa Paula, are wanted by SPPD in connection with the killing.
The Garcia stabbing case has been turned over to the SPPD Detective Bureau for further investigation. Anyone who has information on this incident is urged to contact Boggess at (805) 525-4474 X-220. If the caller would prefer to remain anonymous, they can call the SPPD recorded Tip Hotline, 933-4253-1-#.
Those with information can also call Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477). The caller may remain anonymous and the call is not recorded. Ventura County Crime Stoppers can also be contacted by texting “Busted” plus your message to CRIMES (274637). Crime Stopper Tips can also be sent via the website, www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and criminal complaint against those responsible for crime.
