Victim says stabbing may be gang related

LAWRENCE — A 23-year-old city man stabbed in the back Sunday night told police he thought the incident might be gang-related.

Police said Hector Martinez received the non-life-threatening wound to his lower right back about 9:15 p.m. as he and three friends were walking on Lawrence Street after going to a package store.

Martinez said he and a friend met up with two women near the fried dough stand at the Semana Hispana festival. One of the women told police she had met Martinez on Facebook and had only known him for two days.

She told police after they met, three men approached Martinez and one of them called him over.

One of them put his arm around Martinez and the two walked off together, police said.

The woman told police Martinez returned a few minutes later and told her he had a prior beef with the other man, but they had settled it.

The four then walked to the package store and the girls waited outside while the two men went in.

Another man came up and talked to them and when the men left the store they walked south on Lawrence Street.

The woman told police moments later she felt a shove and thought someone had punched Martinez.

She turned around and saw the man she had just talked to running north on Lawrence Street and get into a waiting car.

Martinez told police he thought he had been punched, but when he put his hand down he felt blood streaming from the wound.