Man Allegedly Stabs Shopkeeper Asking Him Not to Smoke Marijuana in Shop Parking Lot

Pasadena police arrested a man who had allegedly attacked and stabbed a store employee in the 1700 block of E. Washington Blvd. in Pasadena on Saturday, after the employee asked him to stop smoking marijuana.

Juan Manuel Castro, 23, a Long Beach resident, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, said Pasadena Police Lt. Mark Goodman.

The attack reportedly happened at about 6:40 p.m.

““The victim saw the suspect smoking marijuana in a parking lot at the location,” Goodman related. “He went out politely to tell the suspect not to smoke marijuana there. A verbal altercation then ensued that went into a physical altercation.”

During the fight, the victim, a Temple City man in his 50s, sustained a minor stab wound, characterized as a two-inch laceration, to one of his hands, Goodman said.

Despite his wound, the victim managed to subdue his attacker and held him until police arrived. The victim did not ask to be taken to a hospital, police said.

Castro is now in custody in lieu of $30,000 bail.