From the Eureka Police Department:

On August 30, 2016, at about 5:15 p.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to the Budget Motel on the 1100 block of 4th Street for the report of three subjects in a physical altercation and one known injury.

Upon arrival, all involved parties had fled the scene. Officers located a hatchet and blood on the ground and on a parked vehicle. A witness stated the victim had been transported to the hospital by a family member.

Officers responded to the hospital and made contact with the victim, an 18 year old male of Eureka. The male was being treated for non-life-threatening lacerations and refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Statements provided to officers provided little information about what occurred. The primary suspect was only described as a heavy seat Hispanic male with long hair and was last seen riding a beach cruiser bicycle east on 4th Street. Based on the investigation, it appears the hatchet found on scene had been in the victim’s possession during the altercation.

The Budget Motel has been a chronic source of crime and nuisance complaints with nearly 200 calls for service in the past 12 months.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Senior Detective John Gordon at (707) 441-4032.

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CORRECTION: An early headline, here, made the incorrect assumption that the man sent to the hospital with lacerations was lacerated with the hatchet later found at the scene. This is not the case — the lacerations were not caused by the hatchet.

Apologies.