NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A DJ who intervened to help several women being attacked after a boat party is recovering from serious injuries after being stabbed by one of the assailants.
On September 6, around 9:30 p.m., Ricky Haynes, 33, was packing up his equipment after performing at a birthday party on a small yacht two Saturdays ago when he heard something near the dock.
"Then out of nowhere, I hear some screams going on. Then I hear people getting pushed into the water," Haynes said.
When Haynes reached the dock, he witnessed a disturbing scene.
"I see a bunch of people on top of the girls, two guys stomping on these girls," he said.
Haynes immediately stepped in to help.
"I push two guys off the two girls. Another guy from behind me pushes me into water. I get to the dock, and as I was pulling myself out of water, I felt something come up to me and push me. One of the girls behind me said, 'you just got stabbed,'" Haynes said.
The stab wound penetrated his chest, puncturing his lung and breaking a rib. The injury was just inches from his heart.
As blood gushed from his side, Haynes applied pressure to the wound and tried to stay calm. The group of more than 10 attackers fled the scene in their vehicles.
Haynes was rushed to the emergency room, where doctors diagnosed him with a punctured lung and broken rib. His recovery is expected to take several months.
"Even with pain medication, I have trouble breathing right now," he said.
Despite his injuries, Haynes said he doesn't regret his decision to intervene.
"It was the right thing to do. Those girls could have gotten killed, stabbed," he said.
According to Haynes, police told him the altercation began when a woman from his group brushed up against a woman in the other group.
Haynes hopes sharing his story will lead to tips and arrests.
"It's scary. If they get away with this, more people will be stabbed. I don't want anyone else to go through this," he said. “Just glad to be alive. There were a lot of moments in that whole situation where I thought I was a goner.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Haynes with medical and other expenses.
Any witnesses or tips can be directed to the National City Police investigations division at 619-336-4460.
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