Man Killed, 2 Hurt in Gang Fight

FULLERTON — One man was killed and two others were injured Thursday afternoon during a fight that involved about a dozen gang members, police said.

Ricky Michaels, 18, of Placentia was stabbed several times in the chest during the fight, which broke out at 4:45 p.m. in the courtyard of an apartment complex in the 3100 block of Pearl Drive.

Michaels was taken to Placentia Linda Community Hospital in Placentia, where he died about 45 minutes after the attack, said Sgt. Danny Becerra.

Injured in the melee were 20-year-old Charles Ernest Matthews of Placentia and a 17-year-old boy from Anaheim. Both were stabbed in the torso and are in stable condition, police said.

“We are still trying to piece together what happened,” Becerra said. “Nobody has been arrested and we are still interviewing witnesses.”

Matthews and the injured teen are admitted gang members, as was Michaels, Becerra said.

The stabbing was Fullerton’s second homicide of the year. Becerra said there has been a recent increase in gang activity in the area where the stabbing occurred.