San Diego

A young sailor was stabbed in the chest during a dispute with a fellow shipmate at a Pacific Beach nightclub early Sunday morning.

Kevin Carstens, 22, was hospitalized in critical condition following the altercation at Diego’s Cantina, police said. John Monroe Cortez, 21, was booked into County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, according to police Sgt. Nate Kaplan.

Carstens, Cortez and two other sailors from the aircraft carrier Enterprise had gone to the Garnet Avenue night spot Saturday and were sitting in the patio area when the two men became embroiled in an argument shortly after midnight, Kaplan said. During the fight, Cortez stabbed Carstens in the chest, apparently striking him in the heart, according to Kaplan. Carstens was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition Sunday night.