A 7-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the 500 block of E. Pleasant St., Long Beach Police said Saturday.
The boy, who was not identified, was stabbed multiple times in an apartment complex at about 9 p.m. Friday, according to an LBPD advisory. The boy's 27-year-old mother was also injured in the attack.
Officers arrived on scene in North Long Beach to find the mother in the stairwell of the apartment complex. The woman had been stabbed and was apparently screaming.
"The woman pointed to a male subject who was standing in the doorway of a nearby apartment, and told the officers he was killing her kids," the LBPD advisory states. "When officers approached the subject, he closed the door and locked it. Officers, fearing that the lives of children were in danger, forced their way into the residence. Once inside, officers discovered a 7-year-old boy who had sustained multiple stab wounds to his body."
Officers performed CPR on the child until paramedics arrived and transported him to a local hospital., where the child was pronounced dead.
The mother of the child was also transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police arrested Peniamina Tomasi, 30. He was taken into custody at the apartment and been booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and is being held at the Long Beach City Jail without bail.
The preliminary investigation found that Tomasi lived at the residence with the mother victim and eight children that ranged in age from 4 months to 10 years, the police advisory states.
They each had three children of their own, and shared two children together. It was unclear whether Tomasi is suspected of killing one the children he and the mother shared or one she had with another father.
Police could not be immediately reached for further comment.
The Department of Children Services is caring for the seven surviving children, none of whom were injured.
The attacker's motive was unclear.
