Deliveryman Stabbed in Irvine Knew Attackers, Police Say

A 19-year-old man who was stabbed repeatedly as he made a flower delivery in a quiet residential block Monday was not the victim of a random act of violence, police said Tuesday.

Matthew Schmidt, who is in the hospital recovering from his stab wounds, apparently was engaged in a feud with his three alleged attackers for quite some time, Lt. Sam Allevato said.

“The suspects and the victim had at one time all lived in the Turtle Rock neighborhood and may have become acquainted there,” Allevato said. “There had been an ongoing feud and the stabbing was some kind of pay-back.”

Allevato said he did not know what the dispute was about.

The stabbing stunned residents in the 19300 block of Sierra Perla Road where it occurred.

Two of the neighbors took the victim into their home after the assault and called paramedics. Another neighbor described the fleeing vehicle to police, who arrested three people near University Drive and the San Diego Freeway only minutes after the attack.

In addition to an unidentified juvenile, police arrested Jason Fluch, 20, and Keith McCullogh, 21, all of Irvine.

The juvenile was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held at Juvenile Hall. Fluch and McCullogh are being held at Orange County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Schmidt was in stable condition Tuesday at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.