Alley between Winstons and Arizona Bar where Bazan was found unconscious on Feb. 7th.
The young man stabbed in an Ocean Beach alley less than a month ago has died of his wounds today, Monday, March 5th.
Andrew Bazan, 24, was suffered “horrific” wounds when he was stabbed on February 7th. He was found unconscious with his intestines exposed in the alley between Winstons and the Arizona Club, a half block from Newport Avenue.
No one has been arrested for the stabbing, now updated to murder, no doubt. That same evening, a man with a knife was ejected by bouncers from the Sunshine Company. No one has put the two incidents together. Maybe now they will.
Bazan’s wounds were horrific according to Tim Hinds, a spokesperson for the victim’s family, who talked to NBC San Diego. Hinds stated:
“By the time Andrew passed, he was beyond any reasonable quality of life. He didn’t deserve this. Anybody that has any information on this, that can help us to apprehend the person responsible for such a horrific thing, Andrew would want that.”
Hospitalized at UCSD Hillcrest since the night he was discovered, Bazan only had a 50-50 chance, his doctors had told the family. When he passed away this morning, he was surrounded by family.
The case has now been turned over to SDPD homicide detectives.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Ocean Beach Crime Prevention NOW! Little crimes lead to big crime. Community tolerance of graffiti, vandalism. illegal lodging, drug dealing and other antisocial behavior eventually leads to an “oh, well, that’s just the way it is” attitude. Well this is not the way is has to be. It is time for the citizens of Ocean Beach to stand up and take back our town. Demand the the police enforce the laws on the books. Let people know that it is time for a major change in the way our town treats criminal and antisocial behavior. It should not have taken a murder to wake us up. Let’s see if we can join together and make something good out of this tragedy.
Fox report ties the two incidents together: “Police have found no witnesses to the stabbing, but patrons inside a nearby bar said a man wielding a knife was threatening to stab people after he was kicked out of the establishment, investigators said.”
That parking lot is well lit. It’s hard to believe there are no witnesses even on a Monday night. That alleyway stays busy with bar crowd spillover and trolls.
I know this family and they are great people. This young man did not deserve this. A random act of violence by a cockroach of society has taken a good person from the world. Please, if anyone has ANY knowledge of what happened the night of February 7, alert the authorities.
I have never felt scared in this town until this incident, and what happened to me yesterday. I was leaving the beach on my bike, and was on the Dog Beach big cement paw pad, when an obviously drunken, disheveled homeless guy raised his fist at me like he was going to punch me for no reason, and then just moved on. He may have been mentally disturbed, drunk, I don’t know. Had there been a cop to tell it to, I would have. He walked down toward the wet lands on that asphalt trail. I hope he didn’t hurt anyone. Geez, I moved away from Los Angeles, hoping I could go out and feel safe, and these incidents still won’t stop me, but I feel a little less safe in OB now.
I happened to be at the seawall yesterday in a matter of 5 minutes this is what I saw:
1. At the foot of the steps that lead to the beach by the flagpole 5-7 young homeless kids selling drugs and smoking either weed or crack out of a pipe …they were swearing and cussing and obviously looking to get attention they were acting as if they owned that corner of the beach they had all their crap on the beach including 2 dogs covered up with blankets so lifeguards could not see the dogs…..crap everywhere and disgusting …
2. Twenty feet away by the entrance to the pier parking lot the same thing smoking weed or crack and dealing drugs right on the street in front of everybody including tourist looking families with children they use the most offensive F WORD language loud and often as if they are proud and showing off how smart they are ……this group was also chugging Jack Daniels from a 1/2 gallon bottle once again they stake out the sidewalk as if they own it if you happen to walk that way be prepared to walk into the street to get by with a group of 20 and dogs clothes sleeping bags and other disgusting crap .
3. Under the Pier a group had set up a strap between the pier supports and were walking it between tokes of weed or crack they were smoking …once again loud obnoxious swearing with no regard for anyone else….other young homeless kids would stop by on occasion to get a hit off the pipe or make a buy its totally disgusting…IS THIS THE OB PEOPLE LOVE ?? I think Barrio Logan or Lemon Grove are safer than OB !!
A SDPD SUV pulled up and took one guy into custody when that happened they ( the homeless kids)spread out like flies to warn the other groups up and down the wall that SDPD were in the parking lot these kids are just playing games with the Police they have it all figured out. They now are starting to stash their goods such as clothes back packs blankets etc on the sand right behind the wall because SDPD have warned them about piling crap on the sidewalks …
And all this in 5 minutes and at 2 pm just think what happens after the sun goes down …its totally disgusting Laws are in place and they are not being enforced !!!
Visitors and tourist look amazed when they see this going on ….A GREAT way to encourage people to come to OB and spend money Small business owners should be appalled !!
Jim Grant
La Costa
The business owners ARE appalled Jim. I know of one biz right near the wall that hates the gutter punks and homeless, she says they cause her all kinds of problems. I also can’t believe that the police don’t see this, or maybe the troublemakers just see them first and disperse like you mentioned. Either way…I think it’s been like this for a long time, but seems to be getting worse. I’ve never had anyone shake their fist at me like that..it was totally scary.
The OB business owners are APPALLED at anything that might threaten their profits.
Lately, walking from corner of Newport/Abbott to the pier has been a gauntlet of extremely disheveled ‘homeless’ people. It’s extremely unfortunate that my girlfriend and I feel increasingly nervous – week after week – to walk by this area on the way to the tidepools.
I once knew a rather ‘different’ guy in OB who claimed he could see the aura around all people. He would mention that the aura was darkening as a whole. His perspective is definitively accurate when articles such as this pop up. This incident happen 1 month ago, and I have not seen any movement from the good people of OB to unify and act.
What is happening?
And here we go again……
A drunk from a bar with a knife in OB stabs and kills another man, and its time to “kick the family dog.” Yep its the homeless who are doing all the dirty work in OB, even when there is no evidence to point to the men and women, boys and girls who live without shelter for whatever reason.
Its not the proliferation of bars and alcohol in the beach. Its not the rebirth of the Hells Angels and other biker types. Its not the gang members from other communities who come here to drink, fight, tag, rob, beat and otherwise engage in threatening and violent behavior. Its the homeless and poor who give OB a bad name.
I am not saying the homeless are not without their problems, and yes, I wish all people were housed. I also wish children did not run away from home because of physical and sexual abuse and end up on the street. I wish our veterans were all treated with the respect they deserve after the homecomings and yellow ribbons. I wish our foster care system did not simply kick 18 year old out on the street after they left chronological childhood.
But let’s have law enforcement hold those accountable who are responsible and not start another verbal pogram against the homeless. There was a stabbing and the victim died. There is nothing to indicate the suspect was homeless, and regardless, it was one person and not a wandering band of homeless. Let’s not paint everyone with the same brush. It is the same haters who go down this road each time.
Peace, Jack
Thanks Jack, for putting more perspective into this tragedy. Any time something negative happens, there’s a rush to judgment: “it’s the homeless doing it”. I doubt very much that the guy who had a knife who was kicked out of Sunshine Company was a homeless person.
I completely agree with your thoughts and statements and realized I rushed to judgement in blaming the ‘homeless’. Frank is right that it probably wasn’t a homeless person who was in Sunshine with the knife – just another POS…
A POS only because he was kicked out of the bar due to having a knife…legitimate definition.
Following up, I was at Bermuda beach yesterday where there was a dead carcass of near unidentifiable form – we think it was a goat. Anyways, there was a group of four highschoolers??? that were dragging the carcass by the hooves around and then throwing bolders and sticks at it.
NOW, I understand boys being boys, by come the fuck on….
Is OB too mellow, laid-back, groovy, desperate to hang on to it’s 60’s identity to continually allow our neighborhood space to harbor increasingly dangerous and increasingly – detrimentally – weird individuals?
Understand, I do not associate the homeless problem with NIMBY, but when many peoples eyes begin to grow weary of the same group of people, that is considered a problem.
Perspective is always great, and often ironic…can we please work together on a solution?
I play every Monday night at Winston’s and this event has desecrated the once groovy mood of OB. I have never seen it so bad with the new agressiveness of the homeless kids and transients as well as just plain old drunk and agressive folks. I hope one of the fans who frequent the alley on Mondays may have seen something and steps forward. We need to feel safe in OB!
One way or another, this darkness got to give…
I agree with Craig, One of the things people love about OB is it’s carefree attitude, but we might need to start balancing that out w/ a little more care for the community. When the carefree attitude we love permits a total disrespect for the community something has to happen. It starts with the individual. When you see someone litter, call them on it, when the law is being broken call law enforcement, when someone tags your street paint it out, when someone acts in a threatening way take their picture and report it. Write a letter to the city council. I do all these things and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one.
Here’s a couple more ideas:
How about someone help me write up a friendly list of ten behaviors residents don’t want to see in OB and distribute it to leaders in the homeless community?
OB welcomes you with open arms! Be Respectful!
#1. Please don’t litter.
#2. Aggressive panhandling doesn’t make me want to help you.
#3. Lets keep this going……..Suggestions?
Heart goes out to the family and friends of this guy. A very sad story that hits close to home (literally, as in a I live a block away and happened to pull up to the BOA ATM just after the police and ambulance came to the scene of this crime).
I find the speculation and axe-grinding a bit distasteful in light of their loss, but still think it is important to mention that indications lean towards this being an alcohol-related incident, of the kind OB can expect to see more of the more bars/restaurants open up here. Just look at PB.
Regardless, my condolences to those who suffered such a needless loss.
Definitely not the homeless here.That was a few weeks ago that a homeless guy stabbed a man in front of don bravos on Newport.Dumb people are housed and homeless,stupidity doesnt discriminate. Weird lonely guy on god knows what getting drunk in a bar by himself.With so many bars I’m surprised it doesnt happen more often.
Someone mentioned the alley being lit.It is now.The lights were installed the day after this guy got stabbed.Way to be proactive.Before that it was REAL dark back there.Someone should ask Eric,the homeless guy that looks like Manson and drinks a bunch of Starbucks,if he saw anything.He lives in the bushes right there.I heard he is a registered sex offender,which blows my mind that he is allowed to sleep next to the atm even though the cops know who he is.
So let’s allow every other biz that opens in OB to sell alcohol and then be surprised when there are drunk fights and stabbings.Good planning.Well on your way to being a PB, only with smaller houses, just the way the OB bible,errrr Precise Plan intended,no?
On a final note,I think business and property owners that leave graffitti on their walls should be fined after a warning.
Now go take a self defense class. Peace?
Andy. Was friend of mine.
Worked at wendy’s.
I used to visit him on his lunch break
And around town
I had only known him for few years
But Andy was a funny. Compassionate. Kind. Human being
One time it was raining hard out
I was low on money
I came in sat down in wendy’s. Get out of rain
Without saying a word
Andy’s putting tray of food. On my table with hot coffee
Just a example of the great guy he was
I miss my friend
Last time I saw Andy was late night bout 12. Am Sitting on bench on pier looking at ocean. I visited with him a bit.
Never knowing I’d never see him again
Andy never deserved what happened to him.
Andy love you brother
Rip .. timothy