HEMET – A 28-year-old Marine Corps veteran and father of two children – who “was in town visiting family and friends,” – was one of two men stabbed in an early morning violent confrontation in downtown Hemet, Sunday, June 19th.
The veteran died from traumatic wounds he received during the deadly confrontation. The stabbings occurred in the parking lot of the Elite Bar, located at 118 N. Harvard Street, according to an official press release about the tragic incident.
One of the two victims, identified by officials as Nicholas Males of Whittier, was pronounced dead at Hemet Valley Medical Center in spite of life-saving efforts by the first officer who arrived on scene as well as responding paramedics and fire personnel.
The second victim stabbed during the attack is recovering at a local hospital. That person’s name is not being released by police officials at this time.
Officers recovered numerous articles of evidence. The first responding officer arrived within one minute of the fatal stabbing. Miguel Shannon photo
Dispatchers at the Hemet Police Communications Center began receiving numerous calls regarding the stabbings at 2:19 a.m. Callers reported large groups of bystanders and a chaotic scene, with at least one person badly stabbed on the right side of his chest.
The first officer arrived at the parking lot less than one minute after the call was dispatched. He quickly “located a non-responsive male…suffering from a stab wound to the torso,” according to a press release.
Within two minutes of the dispatched call and one minute after his arrival, the officer advised he was performing CPR and life-saving measures to the unresponsive victim and requested law enforcement officers and other emergency first responders to expedite their response to the location. Hemet Fire and AMR personnel – who were staged at a location nearby – were at the victim’s side just two minutes later.
Officers converged on the two location of the deadly stabbing incident. Miguel Shannon photo
Paramedics treated Mals at the scene before they transported him to Hemet Valley Medical Center. He was declared dead shortly after his arrival at the hospital.
At 2:25 a.m., while officers were still getting control of the large crowd and crime scene in the Elite Lounge parking lot, another officer advised a second stabbing victim had been located. The second victim was eventually transported to Riverside County Regional Medical Center for further treatment.
Based on the circumstances and the large group of bystanders who witnessed the deadly confrontation, detectives and supervisors responded to the location to assist with the investigation.
The “preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and his friends were attacked by a large group of subjects while walking through the parking lot,” the release explained. “The investigation revealed that there was a large crowd of people present before, during, and after the attack.”
The investigation is ongoing and police officials were not prepared to release any further information.
Anyone with information about this homicide is encouraged to contact the Hemet Police Detective Sergeant Elmore (951) 765-2396.