Man pleads not guilty to allegedly stabbing Long Beach police officer
A man who was arrested last month for allegedly stabbing a Long Beach Police Department officer near the Long Beach Grand Prix pleaded not guilty to charges on Tuesday.
Arturo Scott Fernandez, 44, of Torrance, was charged in late April but had his arraignment hearing continued to Tuesday, when he pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder of a peace officer and two felony counts each of assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office prosecutors.
The complaint also alleges that he has a previous conviction for assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and a juvenile court conviction for assault with a deadly weapon.
Fernandez was arrested on April 17 at around 2:45 p.m., when officers were called to the 200 block of W. Broadway near Pacific Avenue for reports of a man who was possibly armed in the area, according to a news release from the department at the time.
Upon arrival, officers found a suspect who matched the 911 caller's description. Despite attempts to de-escalate the situation, the suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the officers multiple times.
A group of four U.S. Department of Homeland Security federal air marshals who were working nearby witnessed the incident and rushed to assist Long Beach PD with taking Fernandez into custody, the LBPD release said, noting that officers recovered a knife from the scene.
Fernandez has remained behind bars since in lieu of $2.3 million bail. Prosecutors said that he is due back in court on June 16 for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. If convicted as charged, he faces up to 100 years to life in state prison.
The officer who was stabbed was treated at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released, police said.
After Fernandez's case was filed last month, LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement that the incident "underscores the risks law enforcement officers face every single day in service to our communities."