Sunglasses Dispute Led to Downtown Stabbing

Blood stained the alleyway between the Sportsman and Norton’s Pastrami & Deli on Wednesday at about 1:00 p.m., after a male suspect allegedly stabbed another man three times, said city police Sgt. John Ingram. The incident stemmed from a dispute over the victim’s sunglasses, which the suspect had reportedly thrown on the roof of the Sportsman.

The altercation apparently began at State and Figueroa Street before reaching the alleyway, where Sportsman bartender Nate Jon said the two men “loitered for about an hour” before he heard a bottle smash and sirens. The male suspect, whose blood-stained flannel lay across the street from the bar, allegedly walked to Saks Off 5th Avenue before calling the police to turn himself in. He returned to the crime scene and was taken to the Santa Barbara Police Station. “I have no idea why [he called]…people do things for strange reasons,” Ingram said.

The male victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said Ingram. He was transported to Cottage Hospital. One witness said the heavy-built victim had his arm in a sling and “was in pretty bad shape.” City firefighters and police officers were on scene collecting evidence.