STOCKTON  (AP) — A retired Stockton police officer has died after being stabbed at a park.

 Laurits “Pepe” Petersen, 75, died Tuesday after a struggle near a Stockton park that also injured a witness who tried to come to his aid. The witness was taken to the hospital but is expected to survive his injuries.

Stockton police spokesman Officer Joseph Silva says officers responded to reports of a stabbing Tuesday. The suspected attacker fled but was taken into custody with the assistance of a police dog.

Petersen worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years.

He retired from the Stockton Police Department in 1998 before going to work as an investigator for the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office until 2004.