A handgun found at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River is thought to be linked to a double stabbing that left two men severely injured near Covered Bridge Park in Felton on Sunday.
Sheriff’s deputies are still keeping mum on the details of the attack that took place at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.
So far, police have arrested one man and are looking for a second assailant involved with the stabbing.
Nineteen-year-old Michael Joseph Colonna of Ben Lomond was arrested Monday, Dec. 7, the day after the stabbings, when his car was stopped on Ocean and Leonard streets in Santa Cruz, said Sgt. Todd Liberty of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
“One arrest has been made, and we believe he is responsible,” Liberty said. “We’re still following up on leads.”
Deputies donned scuba gear Thursday morning and searched the frosty river for about 20 minutes before finding the gun one of the victims said would be there.
“It looks like a 9 millimeter pistol,” Liberty said as he examined the weapon, placed in a shoebox as evidence. “This is the second time we’ve been out here looking for it.”
Both victims are men who live in the San Lorenzo Valley, Liberty said. They were stabbed several times by two attackers armed with knives.
Ryan Rose, a plumber who lives on Covered Bridge Road, said he was outside his house smoking a cigarette on the night of the stabbings, when he heard a commotion on the other side of the bridge.
“It was crazy — I heard yelling and wrestling in the water,” Rose said. “Then I heard someone shouting my name, and I saw my buddy stumble out from the bridge.”
Rose, 32, said he went to high school with one of the victims and was shocked to see him bloodied in his front yard. Rose then recalled seeing other men flee the scene in a late-model Honda.
“He took off his shirt, and it looked like faucets all over his chest,” Rose said. “I had to hold some of the wounds closed.”
Rose’s driveway still bears blood splotches, even after the rainy weather.
“He was stabbed seven times. I think they held a gun to his head, too,” Rose said of one of the men. “He was stabbed in the temple, but it didn’t go deep. He had a slash across his face, though. He really could’ve died.”
Rose said his friend is out of intensive care, but he remains in the hospital.
Liberty said both men are expected to live.
Colonna was arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder and one count of robbery, according to county jail records. He is held on a $150,000 bail.
Liberty would not comment on whether the robbery charge is connected to the stabbings or what role Colonna might have had in the attack.
“I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation,” Liberty said.
The two victims were flown to trauma centers outside of the county Sunday after being airlifted by helicopters near Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Liberty said.
Investigators have not said what prompted the violence. However, people at a neighboring business said they heard the stabbing might have been a drug deal gone bad, with teenagers involved.
“We feel this is a very serious case and are devoting the entire investigations bureau to solving this crime,” Liberty said before the first arrest was made. “At this point, we’re working on identifying the parties involved.”
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