Clearlake fight ends in stabbings

Clearlake police Friday were trying to sort out a fight between several groups of people during which two people were stabbed.

But both of the injured parties, a man stabbed in the back who was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and a woman with a laceration to her face, told police they didn’t want anyone arrested despite their wounds, police officials said.

Callers alerted police to a fight at about 12:25 p.m. Thursday between a man and a woman near Phillips and 40th avenues near the Kool & Kash market, Sgt. Rodd Joseph said.

Holly Harvey, 35, of Clearlake suffered a laceration on her face and told police she had been assaulted by a man, police officials said. Officers found Brandon Clark, 18, of Clearlake nearby. Clark was combative and argumentative with an officer and after Clark was in handcuffs, the officer discovered Clark had been stabbed in the back, which Clark had not realized, according to Joseph.

He was taken by helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition late Thursday after undergoing surgery, Joseph said. Harvey was taken by ambulance to St. Helena Hospital in Clearlake.

Police suspect the incident began with a physical fight between Clark and a different woman in the presence of a group of people, including a child. When that fight was over, the woman called a relative, who came to the area and began fighting with Clark as well, police said.

After that second fight, an unrelated group of between seven and ten people, including Harvey, surrounded Clark and another physical fight ensued, police said. It was during that fight when police suspect Clark injured Harvey in the face. Police were still trying to determine who stabbed Clark.

A woman posted on a social media website that she witnessed the entire incident and gave a suspect and weapon description. But when officers interviewed her she admitted that she had not seen anything and the information was false, Joseph said. The woman was not arrested but police warned the public that giving false information to law enforcement during an investigation could bring criminal charges.

Anyone with information about the case can call Clearlake police at Officer Michael Ray at 994-8251 ext. 504.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.