A man was stabbed near Newport Road and Bradley Road in Menifee on Wednesday night after what police describe as a road-rage altercation that turned physical. Officers found him with a stab wound that did not appear life-threatening, and the person responsible had not been caught as of the latest update.
Menifee Police officers responded to the area about 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to Menifee 24/7. Police public information officer Chase Coburn said officers located a male with a small stab wound at the scene. The outlet reported that the preliminary investigation indicates the incident followed a physical altercation stemming from a road rage incident.
The suspect fled before officers arrived and remains at large, the report states. Coburn told the outlet that investigators believe the stabbing was an isolated incident. “This is believed to be an isolated incident, and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to the public,” Coburn said, according to the same account.
Scanner Traffic Points to Church Parking Lot
Police scanner audio cited in the report indicated the stabbing occurred in the parking lot of a Seventh-day Adventist Church located just north of the Newport and Bradley intersection. That detail came from radio traffic rather than an official statement, and has not been independently confirmed by police or the city. No further details on the suspect's description, motive beyond the road-rage account, or any arrest have been released.
A Grimmer Precedent in Menifee
Wednesday's incident is far less severe than a January 2024 stabbing in Menifee that left a man dead. In that case, officers responding to the area of Copper River Road found a man with stab wounds to his upper body who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Press Enterprise. Police arrested a 22-year-old man, identified as Samuel McNeal Jr. of Menifee, after he fled on foot and was later located and taken into custody.
Investigators in that 2024 case determined the suspect and victim apparently knew each other and concluded the stabbing was an isolated crime, the Press Enterprise reported. The comparison underscores how quickly a roadway confrontation can turn deadly, even as Menifee police say this week's incident appears contained to the two people directly involved.
A separate report from Menifee 24/7 in August noted that crimes involving drug, weapons and warrant violations had risen 19 percent compared with the previous year, though that figure does not by itself establish a broader trend connecting it to this week's stabbing. Anyone with information on the Newport and Bradley incident has not yet been given a specific tip line in available reporting, and the investigation remains active.
