Fight victim in critical condition

Police have confirmed the name of a Huntington Beach man shot to death early Saturday, but have not disclosed the name of the surviving victim, who is still fighting for his life in the hospital.

Abraham Sanchez, 20, of Huntington Beach, was found shot to death in the street near Main Street and Delaware Street at 12:07 a.m. Saturday, while a 19-year-old resident who was stabbed is in critical but stable condition at UCI Medical Center, police said.

“Due to the nature of the incident and for the safety of the individual involved who was stabbed, we’re not releasing any of the victims’ names at this point,” Huntington Beach police Lt. Dave Bunetta said.

Early speculation had been that the violence might be gang-related, but Bunetta said there were many other possibilities.

“We have not verified [a gang connection],” he said. “That is one angle we are looking into as possibly being a motive along with several others.”

On Saturday, police got a call from a passerby who reported a man lying in the street between Main Street and Ellis Avenue. Another man around the same age was found on the scene with multiple stab wounds and rushed to the hospital. Lt. Brian Tidrick said the two men, whose names were withheld, had been involved in the same incident.

“They were attacked by a group of people,” he said. “We don’t know how many.”

The neighborhood, Tidrick said, wasn’t normally a high-crime area, but it has a rocky past.

“At one time, years ago, there were gang issues in there,” he said. “I don’t know if those issues are raising their head again or not.”