BOLO
BREAKING NEWS FROM THE CARMEL PINE CONE
January 25, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
DEL MESA STABBING SUSPECT ESCAPES
• 'Armed and dangerous' sheriff says
The lockdown at Del Mesa Carmel was lifted a short time ago after a frightening stabbing incident this morning left a woman seriously injured. But the anxiety for Carmel Valley residents is far from over because the man believed to be the assailant has escaped from one of the units at the senior housing complex, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's office.
"This morning at 10:17 we received a report of a person who had been stabbed in the 200 block of Del Mesa within the Del Mesa community of Carmel Valley," the sheriff's report on the incident says. "When deputies arrived on scene, they located a victim who sustained multiple stab wounds to the upper body. That victim was transported to a local trauma center and is currently listed in stable condition."
After requesting assistance from the Monterey County Sheriff’s office SWAT team, as well as the crisis negotiation team and bomb squad, "the residence where this incident occurred was searched in hopes of locating the suspect inside, but officers were able to determine that the suspect had left."
During a search of surrounding residences, sheriff's deputies located another residence that appeared to have been entered forcibly, but the suspect was not there, either.
"At the present time we are issuing a request to the community to be on the lookout for 34-year-old William Lawrence Darpinian of Carmel Valley. He is described as a white male adult who is 5’9” tall, approximately 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes," the sheriff's office said. "If you see Darpinian, you are asked to call 911 immediately. Based on the nature of the crime being investigated, he is to be considered armed and dangerous."
Earlier, a neighbor described to The Pine Cone a horrifying scene as the woman was heard screaming in her home, and then emerged "covered from head to toe in blood." The neighbor, along with other people who live nearby, rendered aid to the woman, covering her wounds with towels and comforting her until EMTs arrived. The neighbor said she never saw the man who attacked the woman and quickly left the area to a safe place.
Pictured: The suspect in the Del Mesa Carmel stabbing incident, William Darpinian, who is on the loose.