Police search for stabbing suspect
Police are searching for Lee Simpson. Photo courtesy MBPD
A man was stabbed with a knife in an altercation at Crimson Hotel in the early morning hours Friday.
Manhattan Beach Police Department officers responded a report of a stabbing at the hotel, located on the 800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, at 2:46 a.m. Jan. 17. Officers found a man in his hotel room who had sustained multiple stab wounds. The man, whose identity has not been released, was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
An investigation identified Lee Simpson as the suspect. Simpson, 31, is a former Manhattan Pizzeria employee. Unconfirmed reports indicate the victim formerly worked with Simpson at the pizzeria.
Police have pursued several tips in pursuit of Simpson, but at press time Wednesday, he remained at-large. On Wednesday afternoon MBPD detectives, assisted by Redondo Beach police, searched Simpson’s most recent place of employment, a restaurant in Redondo’s Riviera Village.
MBPD Sgt. Tim Zins said anyone who sees Simpson should not approach him but instead call 911.
“This is an isolated incident,” Zins said. “It was an argument between two friends—or two people who were friends before this stabbing occurred. But anybody who is willing to assault someone to that extent has to be considered dangerous.”
Zins said the fact that the victim sustained not one but several stab wounds indicate possible attempted murder as well as assault with a deadly weapon charge.
“To stab someone once can be, ‘Okay, get back,’ a warning. To stab someone five times, that can lead to charges of attempted murder,” Zins said. “But that will have to come out as the investigation goes on.”
“As far as what the victim and Simpson were doing there, it sounds like narcotics were involved,” Zins said. “Narcotics were found in the hotel room, and they had been there for a couple of days.”
Anyone with information on Simpson’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Manhattan Beach Police Departments Tip Line (310) 802-5171.