Admitted gang member arrested in depot stabbing

An admitted MS-13 gang member allegedly stabbed a 47-year-old man Wednesday evening by the bus depot at 375 Broadway, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

A suspect was arrested shortly afterward on Laguna Canyon Road on an Orange County Transit Authority bus.

John Wilson, described by police as a transient, was stabbed once in the stomach with a knife described as a folding knife, Lenyi said. The weapon has not been found.

The suspect and victim had been arguing prior to the alleged attack, witnesses said.

“He [Wilson] was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent exploratory surgery,” Lenyi said Thursday. Wilson is listed in stable condition at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Lenyi said.

Witnesses provided a description of the suspect and told police he may have fled aboard a bus. Bus drivers in the area were provided with the suspect’s description, and one driver reported the subject was on his bus.

Officers stopped the bus on Laguna Canyon Road at Canyon Acres about 7:45 p.m.

The bus was evacuated and officers took the suspect, Jimmy Alexander Riveracastro — who used the alias Roberto Perez Carvajal when he was arrested — into custody.

Riveracastro, a 22-year-old Mission Viejo resident, reportedly told police he was a member of the MS-13 gang from Los Angeles after being arrested.

He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and taken to Orange County Jail.

Lenyi described the incident as “isolated” and said that there is no evidence the MS-13 gang is active in Laguna Beach.

Lenyi added that the suspect had tattoos indicating gang affiliation. MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is a notoriously violent gang based in Central America, according to various reports.

Riveracastro is being held on $25,000 bail. He will appear at Harbor Justice Center on April 2, according to the Sheriff Department’s inmate records.

Lenyi said police do not know why the suspect was present in Laguna Beach.