Long Beach
Police Department

On October 2, 2021, at approximately 2:10 p.m., officers were dispatched to a report of a possible stabbing victim near the area of Linden Avenue and Harding Street, which resulted in the death of a male adult.

Upon arrival, officers located several citizens rendering aid to a man with an apparent stab wound to the upper body near a grassy area behind an apartment complex at Linden Avenue and Harding Street. Officers immediately began performing life-saving measures until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived and determined the man deceased at the scene.

Through their preliminary investigation, Homicide detectives discovered the decedent approached a male adult subject seated beneath a tree near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street when a physical altercation ensued between them and escalated into the stabbing. The male subject fled the scene prior to officers arrival and was described as a thin, middle-aged male adult, last seen walking northbound on Atlantic Avenue.

Both parties are believed to be persons experiencing homelessness in the area. While the motive for the incident remains under investigation, detectives believe both are known to each other.

The decedent has been identified as 46-year-old Ausage Sauta, a person experiencing homelessness in Long Beach.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Ethan Shear and Michael Hutchinson at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers" by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the "P3 Tips" app to your smartphone (available at the Apple app store or Google Play), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.