Stabbing in Encinitas 

June 16, 2024 – San Diego County Sheriff’s Department officials report that a man is under arrest in connection with a stabbing in Encinitas. 

It happened on Saturday, June 15 around 10:00 a.m. in the 1000 block of North El Camino Real. 

Witnesses say a man tried to leave a Home Depot store without paying for items. When three bystanders intervened the suspect took out a knife and stabbed one of the bystanders. The suspect then ran away from the store. 

Deputies with the North Coastal Sheriff's Station responded and applied tourniquet on the leg of the wounded man to stop the bleeding until paramedics with the Encinitas Fire Department arrived. The 51-year-old man was taken to a hospital for further treatment of a non-life-threatening wound. 

The suspect couldn't be located during the initial search of the area. While deputies were gathering evidence at the scene, witnesses told deputies they just saw the suspect. A perimeter was established and Hernan Padilla (25) was arrested in the 7900 block of Anillo Way in Carlsbad. Padilla was treated for injuries he sustained while trying to escape arrest. He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff’s Department