WESTMINSTER, Calif.—A Westminster homeless man was charged with multiple felonies after allegedly stabbing another homeless man on Feb. 12 over what appeared to be a territorial dispute, just weeks after being arrested on suspicion of stabbing another homeless man.
Sang Van Phan, 47, was charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm after allegedly stabbing the man in his back, head, and neck the morning of Feb. 12 in front of a grocery store in Westminster.
After the incident, the Orange County Fire Authority responded to the scene and transported the unidentified victim to the hospital for treatment, and he is expected to survive.
Police officers later located Phan in a nearby laundromat following tips provided by witnesses. He was arrested and booked at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange, where he is currently being held on a $600,000 bail.
Phan was also arrested on Jan. 29 for stabbing another elderly homeless man yet was released four days later on Feb. 2.
“Disturbingly, this suspect was arrested just weeks earlier for stabbing another elderly homeless man during a dispute,” Westminster Police Department (WPD) Deputy Chief Cameron Knauerhaze said in a statement. “WPD Detectives were called to the scene and they will [be] following up with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution of Phan.”
“While WPD Officers make incredible efforts to [aid] homeless people in need, this is a firm reminder of the violent and repeat offenders that comingle in our homeless community and choose a life of crime.”
Asked why he was released after allegedly stabbing the first man, the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office said there was insufficient evidence at the time.
“It was rejected for lack of sufficient evidence that a crime could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but anytime there’s new evidence in a case or regarding a defendant, we’re going to look at that,” Kimberly Edds, public information officer for the OCDA told The Epoch Times.
Given the Feb. 12 stabbing, the DA’s Office will be re-reviewing the Jan. 29 case to see if there is sufficient evidence against Phan.
