Authorities: stabbing suspect still on the loose

By KRIS REILLY
Editor

As of press time on Monday, local authorities were still searching for the suspect in a stabbing that occurred in Lucerne Valley on Jan. 2.

The victim was stabbed twice in the side of the chest and may have sustained damage to one of his lungs but he was expected to survive, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Detective William Badger said.

The victim claimed he was putting air in his tires on the night of Jan. 2 at the Valero gas station on Highway 18 when an unknown male came up to him and uttered a racial slur, instigating a fight.

The victim and the suspect were both white, Badger told The Leader on Monday.

Authorities watched video footage from the Valero parking lot and were unable to find any evidence of a stabbing.

The victim then claimed that the incident occurred at the Lucerne Valley Market, but investigators were unable to establish a crime scene there.

The victim described the suspect as a white male with messy long hair but refused to cooperate any further with the investigation, Badger said.

“We’re not sure where it actually happened,” Badger said. “(The victim) was very uncooperative.”

Badger said the investigation is ongoing. The victim was treated for his injuries at Loma Linda University Medical Center.