Police Warn Motorists After Officer Stabbed

Authorities are warning motorists to use caution on Del Norte Boulevard at night, after an off-duty Oxnard officer was stabbed when she stopped her car to investigate an apparent accident.

Officer Lisa York’s knife wounds were described as minor.

York was headed north on Del Norte Boulevard just south of Ventura Freeway shortly before 11 p.m. Monday when she thought she hit something, police said.

York, who was in civilian clothing and driving her own car, pulled over and noticed a man lying with his bicycle on the side of the road.

When she walked over to check on him, two men grabbed her and the man with the bike joined in to attack her. York broke free after receiving two minor knife wounds and called 911 using her cell phone, but the three men escaped.

The man on the bicycle, described only as a clean-cut Hispanic, fled toward the freeway. The other two men fled on foot. One is described as Hispanic, in his 20s, about 5 feet 9, 170 pounds and with a goatee, wearing a black beanie, black sweatpants and a baggy shirt. The man with the knife is described as being his 20s, 5 feet 8, 150 pounds, clean-shaven and wearing a dark crisscross pattern shirt.

Authorities searched the vicinity for an hour on foot and by helicopter but could not locate the three men.

Police Tuesday warned motorists to be careful when driving at night along the desolate stretch of Del Norte Boulevard, where there is little activity or traffic after the sun goes down.

“I think everyone should use the same precautions if they are out there in the middle of nowhere,” said Oxnard senior Officer Tom Chronister. If someone needs to report an incident, officers recommend pulling over to a well-lit phone booth.