Man stabbed during fight at Santa Monica Pier; 5 people arrested

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) — A fight involving about 20 men near the Santa Monica Pier Saturday afternoon left one man with an apparent knife wound, one man with a possibly broken ankle and five men in custody.

The fight took place around 2:21 p.m., just north of the pier, near Tower 14.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man with stab wounds, but the man's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. Another man may have broken his ankle during the altercation, police said. Both victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

It's unclear what exactly started the fight, but according to witnesses interviewed by Eyewitness News, some of the men involved appeared to be street vendors. The police have not confirmed this information.

“So I went down there and it turned out to be like a fight, between more than 12 people,” said witness Jose Gutierrez. “They were walking around with flagpoles, flags and umbrellas – anything they could find. I saw a guy with a belt in his hand.”

Police said three of the five men arrested were taken into custody on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Another suspect was arrested for assault and battery and the fifth suspect was arrested for sexual assault, police said.

Investigators did not provide further details. The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Monica Police Department Watch Commander at 310-458-8427 or non-emergency dispatch at 310-458-8491.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.