Long Beach man stabs a person with a screwdriver, attacks four others near Livingston Park
Officers shot a man accused of assaulting multiple people and stabbing two others near Long Beach's Livingston Park on Tuesday.
The shooting happened just before noon near Second Street and Quincy Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Responding officers first arrived in the area after receiving a report of somebody stabbing multiple people. Police clarified later that two people were stabbed with a screwdriver while four others were beaten, including a two-year-old boy.
Neighbors said they heard screaming shortly before noon. A mother said she witnessed the suspect attack another man at the park before coming to attack her son. "I yelled, 'Help! Help!'" said the toddler's mother.
Police said a man and a woman were assaulted by the suspect, who then walked over to Livingston Park and assaulted a man who was holding a 2-year-old child, causing the man to drop the child and fall. The suspect then stabbed the victim several times in the lower body with a screwdriver.
The suspect then walked away and stabbed a man in the upper body near Second Street, according to police. It is here, at Second Street and Quincy Avenue where police caught up with the suspect and ordered him to drop the screwdriver. The suspect then tried to run into a neighboring residence and this is when it is reported that at least one police officer opened fire on the man, shooting him once in the upper body.
The suspect has been described as Mario Najara, a 31-year-old homeless man. The suspect and one of the men who was stabbed were both taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. None of the assault victims, including the two-year-old child, were seriously injured and none were hospitalized.
Najara has been booked on several charges, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and robbery. His bail is set at $1 million.
Long Beach investigators have not determined what motivated the man to attack people. Neighbors said they recognized the suspect as a man that slept in the area the night before. A resident claimed he found the suspect sleeping under the steps of his home before forcing him to leave.
