A woman was stabbed to death near a playground in Orizaba Park today, and a suspect was in custody, police said.

Witnesses said the victim was a teacher at a private preschool across the street from the park and that the incident happened in front of children on the playground.

Police responded at 1:30 p.m. to Orizaba Avenue and Spaulding Street just north of Anaheim Street for reports of a stabbing, according to Long Beach Police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt. Officers discovered a woman who had suffered a stab wound to the upper body. She was transported to a hospital where she died from her injuries, Pratt said.

A short time later near Anaheim and Redondo Avenue a man was taken into custody in connection with the stabbing.

The woman’s identity wasn’t released.

Police didn’t release further details. Witnesses, who asked not to be identified, said the woman was a preschool teacher at the private Huntington Academy School. They said she was sitting on a bench watching students on the playground when the incident occurred.

A women who answered the phone at the school this afternoon declined to comment.

Yellow police tape could be seen surrounding the park’s playground.

Resident Doug Hunt said he spoke with the victim’s sister, who was shaking and crying as she arrived at the scene.

Hunt said the park has had recent problems with drugs and crime.

“It’s sad and unbelievable that something like this could happen,” he said. “When a school teacher can’t even be safe in a park, it’s just ridiculous.”

Penny Flint, a neighborhood watch captain for the area who has lived near Orizaba Park since 1975, said the preschool is owned by a local family.

Flint said the park has seen improvements in recent years, although it has been a “roller coaster ride.”

“For something like this to happen, it’s very sad,” she said.

Contact the writer: kpuente@lbregister.com