Criminal charges were filed Wednesday against a San Gabriel resident who was arrested in connection with the stabbing of a brother and sister on a Santa Monica beach last weekend.
Ivan Angel Plancarte, 20, was charged with one count each of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon involving the male victim, along with allegations that he inflicted great bodily injury on both victims, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The attack occurred around 2:25 a.m. Saturday in the 1700 block of Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica police said.
Officers responded to the scene within two minutes of being dispatched and discovered two victims had sustained stab wounds, police said.
The 28-year-old female victim, who asked not to be identified, told KTLA5 on Sunday she was stabbed four times — in her head, her back and under her armpit area. Her brother was stabbed five times — with hits to his stomach and back, she said.
The siblings, the brother’s girlfriend and the sister’s two friends were on a late-night trip to the beach, she said.
She said it was around 1 a.m. Saturday when her group went down to the beach, just wanting to dip their toes in the water. Before they got to the sand, the sister said they noticed two men from a distance, seeming to be drinking and riding their scooters on the boardwalk.
The sister said she found it suspicious, but they carried on. They later noticed the same men who seemed to be getting closer to her group.
The two men eventually approached her and her brother and began harassing them, she said. The sister said her brother was trying to protect her and his girlfriend and her other friends during the confrontation.
The men pulled out pocket knives and began threatening them, the woman said. She and others in the group managed to record the suspects.
The sister begged the two men to leave her and her brother alone, but the suspects didn’t listen, and instead attacked and lunged at both of them with their knives.
The group was able to escape to safety, and the sister said she and her brother ran toward the parking lot to get to their car.
The siblings were taken to a hospital by paramedics, the sister told KTLA.
The sister said Sunday she was continuing her recovery at home while her brother remained in the hospital, where he was expected to stay for a week.
Plancarte was arrested Monday by Santa Monica police and has remained behind bars since then, jail records show.
Police described the other suspect as a thin-built man last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and a blue bandana or face mask.
Anyone with additional information about the attack or the whereabouts of the second suspect was urged to contact Detective Peter Zamfirov at Peter.Zamfirov@santamonica.gov or 310-458-8398.
Callers can also contact Sgt. Alfonso Lozano at Alfonso.Lozano@santamonica.gov or 310-458-8774. The watch commander can be reached at 310-458-8427.