Argument Leads to Brea Stabbing; Victim Hospitalized, Suspect Sought

A Placentia man was stabbed early Saturday while seated at the bar of a Brea restaurant, authorities said.

The 1 a.m. attack was spurred by an earlier argument that 25-year-old Michael Gary Martinez had with another customer at Bobby McGee’s restaurant on South State College Boulevard, investigators said. Martinez walked away from the argument and took a seat at the bar but was attacked from behind by the assailant a short time later, police said.

Martinez underwent surgery at UCI Medical Center in Orange to repair punctures to his spleen and diaphragm, authorities said. Hospital officials did not release details of his injuries or condition Saturday.

Police were searching for the attacker, described as a Latino in his late 20s, 240 to 250 pounds, wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue baggy pants. Investigators asked that anyone who witnessed the attack call the Brea Police Department at (714) 990-7624.