OC man arrested in fatal stabbing at Dave’s Hot Chicken in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — A suspect has been arrested in Sunday’s fatal stabbing at a restaurant in Long Beach, police announced Monday night.

The stabbing was reported around 1 a.m. Sunday at Dave’s Hot Chicken on 2nd Street and Covina Avenue. Officers found a 20-year-old Long Beach man with a stab wound to his upper body at the scene and he later was pronounced dead at the hospital. His name has not been released pending identification by the coroner’s office.

Details about what led up to the stabbing were unclear, but authorities say the preliminary investigation suggests there was a physical altercation between the victim and suspect. During that altercation, the suspect stabbed the victim and ran from the scene.

Detectives interviewed witnesses and obtained surveillance video in the area which led them to identify Brandon Nguyen, 29, of Huntington Beach as the suspect. They found and arrested him at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday. He was booked for murder and was being held without bail. A search warrant was also served on his home.

The video in the player above is from our initial report on the stabbing.

The case will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of filing charges later this week.

“We will not tolerate acts of violence in our community and we will commit all available resources to ensuring that those responsible for crimes like this are held accountable,” said Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish. “Within a matter of minutes, our officers were there to render medical aid and secure the scene. In addition, Homicide detectives responded to the scene and worked around the clock with our Special Investigations Division to identify, locate, and safely apprehend the person believed responsible for this crime.”