Full Breakdown
Two Stabbings Near Taste of Soul Festival Prompt Citywide Tactical Alert
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Details
On Saturday in South Los Angeles, police responded to two separate stabbing incidents in the 4200 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, near the Taste of Soul street festival. The first call arrived just before 3 p.m., and officers found two adult male victims who were “not cooperative” with investigators and were taken to a hospital by ambulance. A second stabbing was reported around 6 p.m.; officers discovered a juvenile girl with a stab wound, who was also transported for medical care. Both incidents occurred outside the festival’s main grounds, and the victims were reported as conscious and breathing in aerial footage captured by a local news outlet.
Official Responses
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokesperson Norma Eisenman confirmed the timing of the calls and the lack of immediate information on the victims’ conditions. After the second stabbing, LAPD issued a citywide tactical alert at approximately 5:30 p.m. because more than 100 young adults were reported as behaving unruly near Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards. The alert remained active for several hours and was lifted around 9:30 p.m. No arrests had been announced for either stabbing, and investigators had not determined whether the two incidents were connected.
Impact on Festival and Community
Organizers of the annual Taste of Soul festival, which celebrates African-American food, music, and culture, said the stabbings occurred on the outskirts of the event and did not affect the festival’s programming, which concluded as planned. Police and paramedics were visible in riot gear near the intersection, and aerial footage showed large crowds gathered for the celebration despite the incidents.
Ongoing Investigation
LAPD continues to investigate both stabbings, noting that the suspect in the first incident was described as a Black male between 20 and 30 years old who fled the scene. The department has not released further details about possible connections between the two attacks or any additional leads. Community members and festival attendees have been urged to cooperate with investigators, though the victims have been described as “not cooperative” with police questioning.