This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On Wednesday, a 33-year-old man embarked on a deadly crime spree in Southern California, leaving a trail of death and destruction in his wake. The attacks, which appeared to be random and hate-fueled, resulted in the fatal stabbing of four people and the injury of two others over a period of three hours.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was taken into custody at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Santa Ana, California, approximately 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. According to Lt. Carl Whitney of the Garden Grove Police Department, the suspect was arrested without incident.
At a news conference late Wednesday night, Lt. Whitney described the motive behind the attacks as 'pure hate.' He stated that the suspect was 'full of anger' and had harmed a lot of people during the crime spree.
The crimes began around 4 p.m. when a burglary was reported at an apartment complex in Garden Grove, a city of 175,000 people located next to Santa Ana in Orange County. The suspect lived in the apartment complex and was responsible for several robberies, including a reported robbery at a nearby bakery and a check cashing business.
As the suspect continued his rampage, he attacked multiple victims, including two men who were found with multiple stab wounds at the apartment complex. One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other died from his wounds at a nearby hospital.
At approximately 5:40 p.m., a robbery was reported at an insurance business, where an employee had been stabbed multiple times. The employee is expected to survive. Shortly after, the suspect confronted a man pumping gas at a nearby Chevron gas station and stabbed him multiple times.
The suspect's car, a silver Mercedes, was found at the 7-Eleven, where he disarmed and fatally stabbed a security guard, taking the guard's gun. As the suspect walked out of the store, he was confronted by police officers, who arrested him without incident.
According to Lt. Whitney, an employee at a Subway restaurant across the street was also found stabbed to death. The suspect was being held at the Garden Grove Police Department on Thursday morning, with charges pending.
Chief Tom DaRé of the Garden Grove Police Department stated at the news conference that there was no threat to the community after the suspect was taken into custody.
