Authorities say the attacks wounded three people, may be gang-related and left two more suspects still being sought.
IMPERIAL BEACH, CA — Three men were jailed this week on suspicion of taking part in a string of stabbings that wounded three people in Imperial Beach over four days, and investigators say they have identified two additional suspects who had not been arrested as of Friday.
The arrests came after two men were stabbed on Saturday, April 11, in separate attacks about an hour apart, followed by a third stabbing late Tuesday, April 14, along Seacoast Drive. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said all three victims suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and were treated and released. Investigators said the cases appear tied to gang activity, though authorities have not publicly described a motive or said whether all three attacks were planned together.
Deputies first responded on April 11 to two separate stabbing calls in the beach city. One happened during a fight involving several people near Dunes Park, according to investigators. The other took place during a robbery at 13th Street Market and Liquor Store. Local TV reports said the liquor store victim was an employee or store worker who was stabbed after two men tried to take beer. Roughly an hour later and less than two miles away, a wounded man in his 20s walked into Mike Hess Brewing with two other people after the park attack. Security video and witness accounts showed him clutching his back and moving into a restroom, where staff realized he had been badly hurt. General manager Araceli Banuelos said the group did not arrive in a panic, but her husband quickly saw the man was losing blood and helped keep him stable until paramedics arrived.
Banuelos said her husband, Gary Banuelos, a Coast Guard veteran, used gloves and clean towels to apply pressure while the victim shook and appeared to be going into shock. “Help is on the way. You are going to be alright,” he told the man, according to NBC 7. Araceli Banuelos later said the brewery was crowded and the scene stunned workers and customers, but staff tried to keep people calm as emergency crews responded. In the liquor store case, nearby witness Rick Toscano said the police response stood out even in a city that is usually quiet at night, with numerous deputies, emergency crews and a helicopter in the area. The sheriff’s office said deputies and a Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter searched after both April 11 attacks but did not find the suspects that night. Detectives later developed descriptions of multiple suspects and said some behavior and evidence pointed to possible gang affiliation.
The third stabbing happened just before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the 900 block of Seacoast Drive, one of Imperial Beach’s best-known waterfront corridors. Deputies responding to a report of a fight involving three people found a man with injuries consistent with a stabbing and called medics. Investigators said the victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. During the initial inquiry, deputies learned there had been a physical altercation among the three people before the stabbing. One of the suspects was seen acting in a way that suggested gang ties shortly before the attack, according to the sheriff’s office. Detectives later said the victim in the April 14 case is also a person of interest in one of the April 11 stabbings, a detail that narrowed the investigative focus but did not fully explain the relationship between the cases. Authorities said this week that the incidents appear isolated, and they said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public.
By Thursday, investigators had announced three arrests. The sheriff’s office said Jonathan Navarro, 21, was arrested April 15 in connection with the April 14 stabbing on suspicion of a parole violation, gang participation and attempted murder. Francisco Guerrero, 20, also arrested April 15, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, narcotics possession and gang participation. A day later, investigators arrested Christopher Lopez, 25, in connection with both of the April 11 stabbings. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, attempted murder and gang participation. The arrests involved personnel from the Imperial Beach Sheriff’s Substation, Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s Station, the Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, the East County Regional Gang Street Team, the Sheriff’s Fugitive Task Force and the San Diego Police Department. Lt. Chris Galve said investigators had already identified the remaining two suspects from the April 11 incidents and added, “It is only a matter of time before they are taken into custody.”
The violence shook a small South Bay city better known for its pier, beach traffic and close-knit neighborhoods than for a cluster of stabbing investigations in one week. The attacks unfolded across familiar local landmarks, from a neighborhood market to an area near Dunes Park and the Seacoast Drive strip. That made the cases feel personal to residents and business owners who said the scenes were unusually intense for Imperial Beach. After the first two attacks, local reports described one victim being treated on a sidewalk while the other stumbled into a brewery seeking help. The sheriff’s office responded by promising extra patrols in the days that followed. Officials also publicly thanked residents for tips and said community cooperation helped detectives move quickly. Even so, several key points remain unresolved, including what set off each confrontation, how closely the three attacks are linked, and what role prosecutors may say gang activity played once formal court filings are made public.
As of Friday, the sheriff’s office had not announced arraignment dates, filed charging documents or released the names of the two remaining suspects. It also had not said whether the cases would be presented together or separately to prosecutors. What authorities have made clear is that they expect a range of felony counts tied to the stabbings, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, narcotics possession and participating in a criminal gang. Those allegations still must be tested in court. Investigators said further information would be released as it becomes available, and deputies planned continued enforcement in the area after the arrests. For now, the case stands at a transition point: three men are in custody, two more are being sought, and detectives are still working to show how the Saturday and Tuesday violence fits together in a city left rattled by four days of bloodshed.
Author note: Last updated April 19, 2026.