By Khalida Sarwari
A 28-year-old man was stabbed in the neck outside a bar in Watsonville early this morning, a police spokesman said.
The stabbing occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside The Villager, located at 1032 East Lake Ave., police Sgt. Saul Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the stabbing appears to be gang motivated, as both the victim and the suspect are gang-affiliated. He said the two of them were acquainted.
Prior to the stabbing, a fight had ensued outside the bar involving the victim, the suspect and two other men, who all fled immediately afterward toward Lake Village Drive, police said.
The suspect is a Hispanic man between 18 and 25 years old with numerous tattoos on his face and neck, Gonzalez said.
The victim was taken to a hospital with a serious injury, but he was in stable condition this morning and is expected to survive, Gonzalez said.
Witnesses or anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call the police tip line at (831) 768-3544 or the investigations bureau at (831) 768-3350.