Police: Santa Rosa homeless man stabbed in the head

A 34-year-old homeless man was reportedly stabbed in the head on the Prince Memorial Greenway in Santa Rosa on Wednesday night after two intruders confronted him and a female companion at their encampment near Highway 101, police said.

The victim said he was assaulted by a man he thought had a knife, though it was unclear with what he had been struck when his bloodied condition later drew the attention of two police detectives near Montgomery Drive and Second Street shortly before 10 p.m., authorities said.

The unidentified victim told police the two men confronted him and the woman in their camp, resulting in an argument during which one of the suspects grabbed his bag and refused to return it.

When the victim finally got his bag he was struck in the head with a weapon, fell to the ground and was struck in the back of the head, as well, police said.

The suspects fled.

Police took the victim to the hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. No update on his condition was available Thursday.

His name was being withheld because of the investigation and the violent nature of the crime, police said.

The suspects were described as two white men, each about 6 feet tall. One had strawberry blond hair shaved on the sides and was wearing a red shirt. He was said to be armed with a knife. The second man had a heavy build and was wearing a black baseball hat.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Violent Crimes Investigation Unit at 707-543-3590.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.