Suspect confessed to the Crime
SEASIDE—The Seaside Police Department arrested 35-year-old Seaside resident Etelberto Vasquez-Zapata on murder charges after an argument turned deadly.
At 4 p.m. Sunday December 22, Seaside Police responded to an apartment complex in the 900 block of Hilby Avenue because of a report of a stabbing. That apartment complex is around the corner from the Police Department.
As police arrived with minutes, they found the victim, a 28-year-old male from Seaside, bleeding profusely from the abdomen. Police Officers along with emergency medical personnel from the Seaside Fire Department and American Medical Response (AMR) attempted a rescue operation at the scene. CalStar eventually flew the victim to a bay area trauma center where he later died from his injuries.
Several witnesses to the crime directed officers to an upstairs apartment in the complex. There they found the suspect – 35-year-old Seaside resident Etelberto Vasquez-Zapata. He was questioned and detained by Seaside Police Officers.
“The victim and the suspect were at a family gathering when an argument ensued.” Seaside Police Deputy Chief Luis Lumpkin said, “ The victim suffered a single stab wound that was fatal.”
Zapata ultimately confessed to the crime. He was booked at the Seaside Police Department and transported and lodged into the Monterey County Jail in Salinas.
The Seaside Police Department is still investigating this incident and is asking that anyone with information contact the Seaside Police Department at 1-831-899-6748. You can remain anonymous by calling 1-831-899-6282, or you can leave a tip on their website.