Shoplifting suspect stabs 2 people at East County grocery store, flees on bike

A man suspected of shoplifting stabbed a grocery store security guard and another person after being confronted Thursday night inside an East County grocery store, a sheriff ’s official said.

Paramedics took both victims to a hospital for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries, and they were released late Thursday night, according to San Diego sheriff’s Lt. Chris Galve.

The incident occurred a little before 9 p.m. at the Smart & Final on Camino Canada off Los Coches Road just south of Interstate 8, in an unincorporated area near El Cajon and Lakeside, Galve said.

Callers who reported the incident told the county Sheriff ’s Department that a man had been shoplifting from the store when he was confronted, Galve said. One of the victims was a security guard, but Galve said there were conflicting reports on whether the second victim was an employee or customer.

While some deputies helped firefighters treat the victims at the scene, others searched for the man responsible for the stabbing, who was last seen riding away on a bicycle, Galve said. A sheriff ’s helicopter and trained dogs helped search for the man, but he evaded capture and was not in custody late Thursday.

Galve described the suspect as a roughly 40-year-old White man who may have been homeless. In a series of tweets, the Sheriff ’s Department described him as 5 feet 8 inches and about 120 pounds, with black curly hair and a beard. He wore a black beanie, black bandana and green and black jacket, and was considered armed and dangerous.

teri.figueroa@ sduniontribune.com

Driver strikes pedestrian who’s seriously injured

SAN DIEGO

A pickup driver struck and seriously injured a pedestrian Thursday night in the Midway District, San Diego police said.

The incident happened about 7:40 on Rosecrans Street near Sports Arena Boulevard where the victim, a roughly 50-year-old man, was crossing the street while not in a marked crosswalk, Officer Robert Heims said in a news release.

The driver of a 2002 Ford F-150 was heading north on Rosecrans and had just passed through a green light at Sports Arena Boulevard when he hit with the victim, Heims said.

The victim suffered multiple fractures to his upper and lower body, but the injuries were not expected to be life-threatening, Heims said. Paramedics took him to a hospital for treatment.

Heims said the 45-year-old driver of the pickup was uninjured in the crash. The San Diego Police Department’s traffic division is investigating the incident.

alex.riggins@ sduniontribune.com