Teen dies in gang stabbing

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A 16-year-old Santa Barbara boy died Monday night from stab wounds sustained during a gang fight in the 700 block of San Pascual St.
Police say the victim has been identified as Lorenzo Valentin Carachure.
Two other stab victims were found by Santa Barbara Police when they responded to the scene at 10:41 p.m.
Carachure’s relatives told the Daily Sound last night that one of the victims, a 19-year-old who officials say is hospitalized in good condition, was Carachure’s cousin. The third victim was a 17-year-old who was treated and released from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.



Lt. Paul McCaffrey said Carachure was pronounced dead at Cottage Hospital.
When police arrived on the scene, McCaffrey said they provided emergency first aid for Carachure until medics arrived.
“Witnesses report that the three victims were walking on San Pascual near Ortega Street,” McCaffrey said. “One victim was pushing a bicycle. A larger group of young men approached, armed with clubs and knives.”
McCaffrey said the larger group confronted the three victims, and began shouting gang slogans.
“The victims were chased down one-by-one and attacked,” McCaffrey said. “The exact nature of the injuries are still being determined; however, all three victims received stab wounds.”
McCaffrey said the three victims are all either active gang members or gang associates. He wouldn’t say if a weapon, or weapons, have been found, but said “we have recovered evidence in this case.”
“There were plenty of people running about,” McCaffrey said of the scene when police arrived. “Of course not everyone knew what happened or saw what happened, but people had bits to add.”
He said no suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made.
“We’re being pretty tight-lipped because of the seriousness and because of where we are in the investigation at this point,” McCaffrey said.
The location of the stabbing is just one block away from where a 14-year-old was stabbed on May 10, and is reminiscent of the March 14 gang brawl on State Street that left 15-year-old Luis Angel Linares dead. Linares also died from stab wounds.
When asked if he believed gang violence is on the rise, McCaffrey said there are often gang stabbings, they’re just not always fatal.
“We’ve had other fights,” McCaffrey said. “When you have a murder, that’s a terrible thing. The culture of gangs is a violent culture and I hope that a way can be found to influence these young men into something a little more productive.
“A life was lost and a lot of people’s lives will be profoundly affected by this.”