Stabbing victim OK after unprovoked attack

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

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By MARSHA DORGAN
Register Staff Writer

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An elderly man was stabbed on Tuesday night as he stood on the sidewalk in front of a downtown Napa restaurant waiting for his wife.

The 71-year-old victim, who has lived in Napa since 1992, was stabbed four times. He was treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center and released. The Register is not publishing the victim’s name in order to protect his privacy.

The attack happened around 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Second and Main streets.

Police have no suspects or motives, according to Napa Police Sgt. Tim Cantillon.

“At this time we believe the incident has absolutely nothing to do with gang activity,” he said.

The victim told the Register he and his wife had been to Downtown Joe’s.

“I was standing outside on the sidewalk just enjoying the evening when I thought someone was pushing me. I thought maybe I was in their way. Then I realized I had been stabbed — twice in the abdomen, once in the chest and once in the back,” he said. “I was just so lucky none of them hit my vital organs.”

The victim said he started “screaming — just screaming, like anyone would who had just been stabbed. My poor wife was there by then. She was so upset.”

Witnesses scrambled to the victim’s aid and called 911.

The victim said he had not been in any altercation with anyone before the attack.

After being attended to by paramedics at the scene, the victim was taken by ambulance to the Queen.

Cantillon said the man was most likely stabbed with a small knife, such as pocket knife, which was not recovered.

The attacker ran off northbound on Main Street.

The attacker is described as 16 to 20, clean shaven, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked call detective Don Winegar at 258-7879.

38 comment(s)

cvmm wrote on Oct 29, 2008 4:12 PM:

" What a world we live in.........................oh what a world! got to love Napa sometimes. This just makes me sad. "

SouthNapa wrote on Oct 29, 2008 5:16 PM:

" Okay, so if there are no suspects or a motive for the stabbing, how can the NPD be so sure that this isn't gang related? "

krusty wrote on Oct 29, 2008 7:21 PM:

" I know quite a few 71 year old gangsters. "

newnapan wrote on Oct 29, 2008 7:45 PM:

" God Im so happy I moved up to napa and so happy I have my guns with me did'nt know I will need them when the wife and I go out to dinner? "

Annabella wrote on Oct 29, 2008 8:47 PM:

" Everyday we read in the Register about crime and wine. What else is new? "

Straight Talk wrote on Oct 29, 2008 9:34 PM:

" "...stabbed as he stood on the sidewalk in front of a downtown Napa restaurant... The victim had been to Downtown Joe’s, near the location where he was attacked"

Does Downtown Joes have a 24/7 video recorder at the entrances to the business? There seems to be an increased level of criminal activity near this business. Time to record and lock on to criminals.

It may be that the crimes were committed by people who never patronized Downtown Joes. If that is the case, then the city should set up cameras in the area to monitor activity and record criminal or suspicious behavior.

MvG "

Paddy wrote on Oct 29, 2008 10:33 PM:

" This sounds like a "hate crime" to me. An unprovoked attack on an elderly man. My guess is he's and elderly white male. "

starling wrote on Oct 30, 2008 4:31 AM:

" This is just so sad, now old people are being attacked too?? Maybe I'm wrong but this sure does smell like a gang initiation to me. The perpetrator just walks up and stabs the man in the back and stomach and doesn't even ask for money or anything?? What was the point of even stabbing him then? I remember when a friend of mine was on the city council back in the eighties and he had said that there had been a discussion of gang infiltration in Napa. While he was concerned about it, most of the others refused to believe there was any problem. Makes me honestly wonder if it had been taken more seriously back then, would it have honestly helped? "

Cadence wrote on Oct 30, 2008 7:06 AM:

" A whitee and jeans and knife and not a gang member? No? Maybe just a wannabe, huh? "

skippert wrote on Oct 30, 2008 7:20 AM:

" This is crazy. How do we know that the stabber was not trying to get jumped into a gang, and needed to do something bad to show his worth? What gives people. "

kdbk wrote on Oct 30, 2008 8:55 AM:

" "...absolutely nothing to do with gang activity...", so says a police spokesperson. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING???? Let's see, a random attack, by a youthful looking individual, nothing stolen, no precipitating event and the cops say ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with gang activity. The police have "no suspects or motives", yet they know it had NOTHING to do with gang activity.

Kirk to Enterprise, come in Enterprise...beam me up Scotty! "

cellsitegod wrote on Oct 30, 2008 9:10 AM:

" Nice description!
"16 to 20, clean shaven, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans"
No height
No race
No weight
No hair color
How's the public supposed to help on that description? "

sobersister wrote on Oct 30, 2008 9:37 AM:

" We are just assuming that this is gang related!
I agree with Straight Talk (MvG) that the city should install camera's where the "hotspots" are.. at the intersections downtown even by the creek by Mervyns.. C'mon guys.. this suspect could be a person who is seriously crazy.

Maybe it was the same person who stabbed the other man in front of Taquria Rosita down the street from DTJ's a couple years ago.. (didn't that victim die?) Wasn't that during the flood?

Anyway I STRONGLY AGREE WITH CAMERAS!! "

amazed wrote on Oct 30, 2008 10:32 AM:

" Oh, cellsitegod, we can't print someone's race. That might offend somebody. "

BiLly wrote on Oct 30, 2008 11:02 AM:

" nice description NVR . Just like your spelling and your articles done in haste and inaccurate. Soooo sure it was not a gangmember and look at your own description??? Are you kidding ??? that is all you can give the public ??....nice work. AS far as Downtown Joe's ..place needs to go always bad things going on there ...second stabbing out front this year ..that I know of. NPD get off of you butts and do something and the Napa City Council you all stink and need to give NPD more resources for more police officers ON THE STREET!!! OH YEH HOW IS THE TIRE SLASHING INVESTIGATION GOING??? How is the keyed car investigation going ? , how is the oven cleaner investigation going ?, how is the last stabbing investigation going ?...so sick of this. "

napamomma wrote on Oct 30, 2008 11:11 AM:

" Gang related or not, this is horribly disturbing. It's shocking that this random attack happened in such a public place when it's not even completely dark yet and the fact that it was an older person who was attacked is just unbelievable. This is scary. I doubt this person will be caught especially with the lack of description but I hope that if someone out there knows anything about this, they will inform the authorities. People who randomly attack people on the street, especially an older person, needs to be taken into custody and possibly have a mental evaluation! "

napanana wrote on Oct 30, 2008 12:06 PM:

" Soooo...the "grown ups" don't think that it is a gang thing.........maybe they should talk to some of the teenagers. Strangely enough they seem to know how to pinpoint gang activity better than.....who? It is all a part of the deal to show how tough you are. Remember the stabbing at the Beacon on the trail last year? No motive...no robery.....just for fun?
Pay attention to your teenagers people. Ask questions....get answers. They may look at you like you are stupid (we all are to teenagers) just agree and ask to be educated on what's going on in the streets. Perseptive little buggers they are. Kids know what gangs are....who they are....and how to stay away from them. We just have to pay attention "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Oct 30, 2008 12:14 PM:

" gang members don't stab elderly people for initiation. they also typically don't stab people that arent known/suspected members of a gang whether it's their own or another gang. i know. i used to be surrounded by gang life growing up and i know the history, practices and inner workings of these gangs better than most of the young punks that think they are in one. i was raised by hardcore current and ex-gang members from out of town. this is not their style. especially in napa. i can pretty much guarentee you that this was not gang-related. it makes no sense for gangs if you truly know how they work.... "

napanana wrote on Oct 30, 2008 2:29 PM:

" Bankerboi707.....intersting name.......good for you that you know all about gangs.....sounds like you are defending them........I am terribly sorry for offending you. Maybe you should teach a DARE program on how to keep yourself safe from gangs and drugs. That much information shouldn't go to waste........use it to STOP the Gang Violence.....it is wrong.....ya know? "

steph wrote on Oct 30, 2008 2:52 PM:

" Could it have been an attack by a paranoid schizophrenic or someone on a bad drug trip?

Hmmm... "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Oct 30, 2008 3:14 PM:

" I'm not defending them napanana. i'm saying stop assuming that everything is gang-related; especially considering the fact that most people in this town dont have any idea (as you pointed out) who or what to look for in a gang so they typically just assume that most latinos are in one. you don't know how many times i have seen young latinos be accused of being in a gang or harrassed about being in a gang when they are in no way whatsoever related to a gang and in most cases fight to keep gang-related things out of their life. i know a guy that has been searched 6 times this year, pulled over 7 and is constantly stopped and questioned by the "oh so great" NPD. This same guy works 2 jobs, supports himself and his little brother and is trying to work up enough money to pay for himself to go back to school at the JC because he has not been able to afford to pay for it himself since he graduated a year and a half ago. Yet he is still hounded by the police because of how he looks.

everytime that an accusation is made against gangs, it sparks racism. just look at half the comments that are posted regarding race and immigration status every time that a gang story comes up. therefore, i wish that people would stop assumign that it must be gang-related and instantly looking to a certain type of person for this crime. everyone here instantly jumped to the conclusion that it MUST be gang-related and therefore are most likely assuming it was a latino. it doesnt specify race. and it doesnt make a lot of sense in terms of how gangs work here. "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Oct 30, 2008 4:50 PM:

" also napanana, you didn't offend me. i typed that a long time before you posted. i just wasn't able to post it until later because I am at work. I chose my name because it's part of what i am right now. i am a banker. i am from napa. Grapetown is simply a nickname for napa that a lot of the younger generation uses. much like las vegas is sometimes referred to as sin city or las angeles is referred to as L.A. As for the 707, California youth have a tradition of sorts that dates back to the 90's or even before of being proud of the area they are from. they exemplify that by "representing their area code". when asked where they are from, they will say the town and their area code afterwords. it has nothing to do with gangs and it is NOT a gang symbol. so if you are implying that i am a gang-member by my name....forget it. "

WhineSpectator wrote on Oct 30, 2008 6:19 PM:

" Thank you for explaining a little bit about gang life BankerBoi. It was helpful for me because I have no real experience with gangs (thankfully) and the only gang knowledge I have is that which is portrayed by the media. And in a lot of cases the media only feeds peoples' fears and does a poor job of providing credible information. I am empathetic towards people like your Latino friend who are harassed because of their physical appearance or their race or ethnicity. It's too bad that it has come to that.
On a side note, I'm not sure how many people realize the crime in Napa County has risen since the Red Cross brought Hurricane Katrina refuges here. I have no idea if this act was committed by someone from Louisiana; I just get tired of reading the comments posted by Napa Register readers who blame practically everything on "illegal immigrants". It's impossible to know if a person is an undocumented citizen based on a name alone. "

savenapa wrote on Oct 30, 2008 7:05 PM:

" Grape and Whine:

I highly doubt that the "harassed" person in question was picked on merely because of his race. I'm sure that his dress and mannerisms have a lot to do with things. If people dress like a gang banger then they shouldn’t complain if people assume they are one. "

jersey guy wrote on Oct 30, 2008 7:11 PM:

" This is either a gang challenge or an attack by a paranoid, hallucinating, psychotic. "

109823 wrote on Oct 30, 2008 7:44 PM:

" I guess that pretty much sums it up, there's no gang activity or illegals in Napa. End of Story. Thanks for straightening that out, wow was I wrong. "

napkan wrote on Oct 30, 2008 9:25 PM:

" Napa government needs to make a decision about what type of city they really want to be... If they want to attract tourists AND keep locals safe, then make a stand! Zero tolerance with gangs, and zero tolerance with violence. The longer they wait, the larger the negative presence becomes. Take a public stand! Make this city one that is not tolerant or a willing "host" and stop the influx of the violent element. "

jersey guy wrote on Oct 31, 2008 1:47 AM:

" Is it a tradition to tatoo "707" on your neck? "

cellsitegod wrote on Oct 31, 2008 5:37 PM:

" jersey guy wrote on Oct 31, 2008 1:47 AM: " Is it a tradition to tatoo "707" on your neck? "
Sure!
It's a fashion statement, not gang related.
I've heard that this stabbing was gang initiation or challenge.
Maybe these gangs will start a ritual of "drinking Koolaid" together.
That'll solve our problem!
LOL "

ValleyKitten wrote on Nov 2, 2008 5:43 PM:

" napanana why do you care if BankerBoi defends them (gangs)????? You defend McWilliams and she shot her boyfriend, while he was sleeping, four times??? What is the difference?? A crime is a crime right?? No matter what the situation or for what reason. Whether jumped into a gang or being abused. You can't have it both ways napanana. "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Nov 3, 2008 3:26 PM:

" ok, this is the third time i am going to try posting this! "cellsitegod" wrote that he heard it was a gang initiation or challenge and he was allowed to post it. i tried to post last thursday that i had heard of a non gang-related person that was held for questioning in this attack with a traffic-related motive (for example, road rage). yet i was blocked. most likely because i was shoving it in the face of one or two people that were so convinced that this had to be gang-related. so then i tried again over the weekend to post something without mention of anyone else. i just asked why it was not posted. still no posting. NVR, this really should be posted or an explanation should be given as to why my posting cannot be posted, however, someone else's posting pointing at a gang-related attack was!

also, i will say it again: i am not defending gangs (although thank you valleykitten for defending me)! i explained my position in a post farther up. "

ValleyKitten wrote on Nov 3, 2008 4:43 PM:

" BankerBoi....I am not saying you were defending gangs....I was just making a point to napanana, on what she was saying to you, after all she was defending a women that has been convicted of attempted murder..so no harm to you BankerBoi..I just did not like the way napanana talked to you. I felt it to be hypocritical on her behalf. "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Nov 4, 2008 1:03 PM:

" oh and thank you valleykitten. i just wanted to make sure my point was clear. "

jonb3333 wrote on Nov 9, 2008 4:38 PM:

" Why do some of you try to defend "gangs". Are you one of these cowards??? Hmmm.
gang member = death penalty
I don't understand why that isn't law.
They sure as hell don't value any of our lives or laws. They are coward terrorist. "

jonb3333 wrote on Nov 9, 2008 4:42 PM:

" Bankerboi,
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!???
Gangmembers attack innocent non-gang related people all the time.
They are all cowards!!!
You make no sense at all. "

jonb3333 wrote on Nov 9, 2008 4:52 PM:

" To the man that was stabbed. I hope you are ok and that they find the punk who did it and put him away for a long time. "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Nov 10, 2008 8:21 AM:

" jonb3333- do u personally work with gang-members in napa? did you grow up with it around you? i highly doubt it. in napa, that's not the way. especially not an elderly man. these gangs are latino gangs. elderly people are respected by latino culture far more than in almost any other culture! this just doesnt fit! stop talking like i am defending gangs! i am not! i am simply saying that it does not fit for a gang stabbing and that people shouldn't simply assume that it is! that narrows their views of who might possibly be a suspect as people then assume it must be some latino youth! there have been many stabbings in napa over the last few years that have NOT been gang-related. sometimes white people go crazy too! i am not defending gang-members. i am saying broaden ur views and don't focus on one group saying they MUST be the ones who did it! "

GrapetownBankerBoi707 wrote on Nov 10, 2008 8:23 AM:

" for instance: i heard that there was a young white girl that is non gang-related who was questioned about it. the motive: road rage. i am not saying thats what happened. but it is a possibility. open ur mind to other possibilities! dont simply scapegoat to gangs! "

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