Police announced Monday that they have arrested one of the two men suspected of stabbing a brother and sister in Santa Monica over the weekend.
The attack happened early Saturday morning, when, according to the sister, she and her brother and friends went on a late-night adventure to the beach to dip their toes in the water.
Requesting to keep her name confidential, the 28-year-old sister told KTLA that they got to the beach around 1 a.m. but, before they got to the sand, noticed two men from a distance who seemed to be drinking and riding their scooters on the boardwalk.
The sister said she found it suspicious, but they continued their night anyway. Later on, however, they again noticed the same men – but this time, they seemed to be getting closer and closer to her group.
The two men eventually approached her and her 24-year-old brother and purportedly began verbally harassing them. The sister said that her brother was trying to protect her and his girlfriend and her other friends during the confrontation.
She said it then escalated, that the men pulled out pocket knives and began threatening them. At some point, the sister and others in the group managed to record the suspects, and she shared some footage with KTLA.
The sister begged the two men to leave her and her brother alone, but the suspects didn’t listen and instead physically attacked and lunged at both of them with their knives. After the attack, the group was able to flee to safety, and the suspects allegedly ran off.
The Santa Monica Police Department said officers arrived at the 1700 block of Ocean Front Walk within two minutes of getting the 2:26 a.m. call, and found the two siblings with stab wounds. The sister said she was stabbed four times – in her head, her back and under her armpit area. Her brother was stabbed five times, with hits to his stomach and back.
Both siblings were taken to the hospital. The sister was released and recovering at home on Sunday, but as of Monday, the brother remained in the hospital and police said he was in critical, but stable condition.
His sister said he was expected to stay at the hospital for at least a week.
Police arrested the first suspect, identified as Ivan Angel Plancarte, 20, from San Gabriel, on Monday, April 21, and charged him with attempted murder. He is being held on $1 million bail.
The second suspect remains at large. SMPD described him as a Hispanic male with a thin build who was wearing a grey sweater and a blue bandana or face mask at the time of the attack. This description aligns with the video footage provided by the sister, viewable above.
Police ask anyone with information to contact the following:
- Detective Zamfirov at 310-458-8398 or [email protected];
- Detective Sergeant Lozano at 310-458-8774 or [email protected];
- or the Watch Commander 24 hours a day at 310-458-8427.
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