A group of people were shot at outside of a bar in Long Beach overnight, underscoring the rise in crime plaguing the area and causing more worry for residents and city officials. 

Saturday’s shooting occurred just after midnight; Long Beach Police Department officers were in the area of Pine Avenue and First Street when they heard gunshots and radioed for backup, preliminary information indicates. 

Shell casings were found in an alleyway off Pine near several crowded bars. Officers located four victims, who told them they were shot at following a verbal dispute but were not injured.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to contact the Long Beach Police Department.

The no-hit shooting took place just blocks away from where a food truck vendor was almost stabbed to death while defending an elderly woman being robbed on Mar. 11. 

The vendor, Bryan Tecun, was driving his food truck home when he spotted the woman being assaulted on the street near Broadway and Pine Avenue. 

Tecun immediately rushed over to help her before chasing the thief down the street and confronting him. 

“We had a brief altercation,” Tecun said. “While I was getting her belongings back, I felt like my shoulder might have gotten dislocated.” 

The food truck vendor eventually discovered that he suffered stab wounds to his shoulder and ribcage, which left him bleeding internally. He spent the next three days in the hospital and is set to be out of work for a month, he says. 

A GoFundMe set up to help with Tecun’s medical expenses and food truck bills while he recovers can be found here.

Just eight days prior to Tecun being stabbed, another man – who was said to have gotten in an argument while defending a group of people – was fatally stabbed at a Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurant in the Long Beach neighborhood of Belmont Shore. 

The suspect in that stabbing was arrested days later at LAX, police confirmed; the restaurant has since started closing earlier.

Several deadly shootings stemming from disputes have taken place throughout Long Beach in the last month, including one that stemmed from a physical altercation on Feb. 17 and another that began as an argument between two roommates on Feb. 14. 

Long Beach city officials met with residents and business owners on Mar. 7 to discuss ways to curb the violence, and Councilwoman Kristina Duggan says she plans to hold a town hall meeting within two to three weeks. 

The Long Beach Police Department has increased their presence around the city in an effort to combat the spike in violent crimes.