Juvenile Charged with Attempted Murder at Ortega Park

A juvenile has been charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of a man at Ortega Park. Around 3:36 a.m. on Monday, reports of a fight in progress sent Santa Barbara police officers to the park next to Santa Barbara Junior High School. The man, who is in his forties, had stab wounds, described as life-threatening by police spokesperson Anthony Wagner, and was taken to Cottage Hospital. 

He told officers he’d seen possibly three men vandalizing the park and told them to leave. As they swore at him and claimed to be part of a gang, they attacked him and then fled, he told police. A description of the suspects by the injured man and evidence gathered at the park allowed police to believe they could link to the crime a 14-year-old who went to Cottage Hospital within the hour with a severe cut to his hand. The teen was charged with attempted murder and a felony gang enhancement. The investigation of the case is ongoing.