Police have identified the man suspected of stabbing two people in Santa Cruz on Saturday as Robert David Worel, 32.
The Santa Cruz Police Department is charging Worel with two counts of attempted second-degree murder. Jail records show he was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail without bail.
Witnesses at the scene say the incident began after a verbal altercation between two people in line at Food Not Bombs, an organization that regularly gives out free meals to community members at the clock tower.
The two people began physically fighting and left the line, according to eyewitnesses. One of them pulled out a knife. Multiple people tried to intervene and another individual pulled out a larger kitchen knife.
According to a statement issued by police, two people were wounded and rushed to local hospitals.
“At this time, one victim has been discharged from the hospital and the other is still under medical care,” the statement reads.
Worel was detained at the scene after fleeing east down Water street.
Police said that downtown is open and safe for residents.
Jasmine Moffet, a volunteer for Food Not Bombs, saw the confrontation happen and called 911. She said she’s sad the stabbings happened, but acknowledged instances like these do occasionally occur.
“The people that run Food Not Bombs are amazing. I never feel unsafe,” she said. “People are always looking out for each other. It’s a really fantastic community, but unfortunately, sometimes stuff like that happens. And I just hope that everybody’s okay.”
Despite the chaos, Food Not Bombs continued operations, passing out free meals to community members at the clock tower. Moffet says she was glad the organization was able to keep doing their work.
“People get their bread here, people get veggies and everything,” she said. “A lot of people rely on this place.”
