Santa Cruz Police Department Detectives made an arrest in
a gang-related stabbing that occurred on August 17th at approximately
10:55 PM. The stabbing took place at an
apartment complex in the 100 block of Sycamore St.
Our patrol officers were first notified of this stabbing
when the victim arrived at the Dominican Hospital Emergency Room. The victim is a 23 year old Santa Cruz resident. He walked into the Emergency room
under his own power and reported the stabbing to hospital staff. The wound was substantial and life threatening.
The victim was immediately taken into surgery and is recovering.
With limited information, our officers were able to
locate the crime scene. Detectives were called
in to assist in the investigation and have been working on the case
since.
Investigators followed up on leads and were able to
identify the suspect as:
Anselmo Castillo – 23 years, Watsonville resident
Mr. Castillo is also a Watsonville "Norteno" gang
member.
Detectives were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Mr.
Castillo charging him with Assault with a Deadly Weapon and a Criminal Street
Gang Enhancement.
Detectives stayed hot on the trail. On August 20th at approximately
4:30 PM they tracked Mr. Castillo to a home on Linden Rd in Watsonville. Mr. Castillo surrendered without incident and
was taken into custody.
Fantastic work by the initial responding patrol team, and
great follow up by the Investigation team to identify and track down our
suspect.
