CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is seeking information about a male subject responsible for a Thursday stabbing.

Just before 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Clearlake Police officers responded to a report of a physical fight between a male subject and a female subject in the area of Phillips and 40th avenues, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph said.

As officers were responding, additional calls were coming into police dispatch which advised the fight was now between a male subject and several female subjects, he explained.

Officer Michael Ray was the first officer on scene. Joseph said Ray located a woman near the intersection of 45th and Phillips avenues who was suffering a laceration to her face. She was identified as 35-year-old Holly Harvey of Clearlake.

Harvey reported that she had been assaulted by a male subject who had walked off in the direction of Davis and Villa avenues. Joseph said Ray observed numerous people on Davis Avenue pointing toward Villa Avenue.

Ray arrived on Villa Avenue and located 18-year-old Brandon Clark of Clearlake. Joseph said Clark was combative and argumentative with the officer and was detained in handcuffs.

Once detained, Ray discovered a single stab wound to Clark’s left side middle back area. Clark did not know he had been stabbed until contacted by police, Joseph said.

Clark claimed he had been assaulted in his back by someone near the intersection of 45th and Phillips avenues. Joseph said Clark was uncooperative with the investigation and did not want anyone arrested for stabbing him. He was transported via air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Harvey was transported by Lake County Fire Protection District to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for treatment, Joseph said. When interviewed by police at the hospital, Harvey told officers she did not want the responsible subject arrested for assaulting her.

Joseph said the initial investigation appears to indicate Clark was walking in the area of 45th and Phillips avenues with two other known and identified women, and a child.

At some point Clark and one of the women became involved in a physical altercation. When the fight was over, the woman called a family member who soon arrived at the intersection in a vehicle. Joseph said the “family member” himself then got into a physical altercation with Clark.

Once this second fight was over, the family member transported the two women and child to an address on Villa Avenue where they all reside, while Joseph said Clark was left at the intersection.

Witnesses reported an unrelated group of about seven to 10 persons, including several woman and Harvey, then surrounded Clark. Joseph said Clark and another woman then got into a physical fight, which is when Harvey became involved and was struck in the face, presumably by Clark.

Once the fight was over, Clark – not yet knowing he had been stabbed – walked to Villa Avenue where he resides, Joseph said.

Police do not yet know who stabbed Clark, as many persons involved in this incident have not yet been identified, besides the fact that Clark does not wish to pursue charges against his attacker, according to Joseph.

While this investigation was unfolding, officers were monitoring social media sites for possible witness information. Joseph said officers discovered information in one particular post where a woman claimed to have witnessed the entire incident. She even provided a limited description of the stabbing suspect and the weapon used.

Officers, needing this valuable information, tracked the woman down to her residence and found her posted comments to be untruthful, Joseph said.

She initially claimed that she did not post this information but did ultimately admit to it after being confronted. Finally the woman admitted that she never witnessed the incident and had only heard about it from neighbors, according to Joseph.

Joseph said the woman was admonished about providing false leads to law enforcement, which he said “wastefully redirects resources” while police are trying to investigate a particular crime, in this case a violent stabbing. He said providing false information to police during an investigation can result in arrest, as a violation of 148(a)PC.

On Thursday evening, police said Clark was in stable condition after surgery.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is urged to contact the Clearlake Police Department. The investigating officer is Officer Mike Ray, who can be reached at 707-994-8251, Extension 504.