Crime & Safety
No Suspects in Deadly Stabbing of Homeless Man
The first murder of the year committed against a transient in Northeast Los Angeles was recorded today, according to LAPD's Crime and Analysis unit in the department's NE division.
LAPD homicide detectives are searching for leads in the case of a homeless man who was stabbed to death in Highland Park early Thursday morning.
The victim, a Caucasian male in his 60s, was found slumped against the glass of located at 5813 N. Figueroa Avenue, in the small business complex on the corner of Avenue 58 and N. Figueroa.
“A private security officer was on patrol and pulled inside the complex to check on the business,” Homicide Detective Lewis Lenchuk of the Northeast division said. “The security guard noticed the victim was unresponsive, had blood on his shirt and called 911.”
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Lenchuk said the security guard placed the call at 12:50 a.m. and emergency officials were on scene within minutes. Paramedics from Los Angeles Fire Department Station 12, which serves Highland Park and is located a couple blocks from the crime scene, responded and pronounced the victim dead upon arrival.
“We don’t have a suspect yet or a weapon,” Lenchuk said.
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Lenchuk said the victim was stabbed just a short distance from where he was found, but still on the same property. Lenchuk also added that the victim had an extensive criminal background and was on active parole.
The name of the victim is currently being withheld until relatives of the man have been notified.
According to Genevieve Bravo, a Crimes and Intelligence Analyst in the NE division, 195 Part I Crimes have been committed against the transient population in the city of L.A. this year. Part I Crimes are violent crimes against people and property including homicide, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, burglary, arson, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
The stabbing was the third homicide of a transient victim to occur in the city this year and the first recorded in NELA.
“If you respect people they’ll leave you alone, it doesn’t matter if you’re homeless or not,” Alfred Sierra, a local homeless man said. “Then there’s certain times when people do senseless killings like this.”
A representative from General Security, the agency contracted by the North Figueroa Association to patrol the area, said he could not comment on the incident due to contractual obligations.
Individuals with information about this crime can contact LAPD homicide detectives in the Northeast division at (323) 344-5744.