Possible Gang-Related Stabbing on Eastside

Santa Barbara police are on the hunt for a suspect or suspects responsible for what is likely a gang-related stabbing that took place Monday afternoon in the 900 block of East Gutierrez Street.

SBPD spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood said dispatch received a 9-1-1 call at around 2:45 p.m. of a man shouting that he had just been stabbed. Emergency responders arrived to find the 19-year-old victim — who is a known gang member — with a contusion to his head and two puncture wounds to his lower back, Harwood said. He was transported to Cottage Hospital, but his wounds were not considered life threating.

At around the same time, staff members of nearby Franklin Elementary School witnessed possible suspects run across the property, so they put the campus on lockdown. After consulting with police, the lockdown was lifted at around 3:25 p.m.

The suspect has not been cooperative with police in their investigation, Harwood said.