LAPD Releases Video Of Downtown Stabbing Attack, Identifies Victim
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department released video of Wednesday's stabbing attack in hopes that someone will recognize the man accused of fatally stabbing another man inside a downtown restaurant.
Barnardo Vergara, the owner of the restaurant, said the security video taken from inside Margarita's Place on 7th Street showed everything that happened — from the argument to the actual stabbing.
In the video, the suspect can be seen sitting at a counter when another man walks up to him. The suspect then stands and the two begin to argue, though owner Bernardo Vergara said he did not know what prompted the argument.
Vergara said he tried to stop the argument, but that there was "no way to reason with them."
The pair continued to argue, and for an unknown reason, the suspect stabbed the other man with a knife multiple times. The victim later died at the hospital.
A few doors down from the restaurant, another security camera caught the suspect walking down the sidewalk.
Police believe the suspect is homeless. They described him as a man between 40 and 50 years old, approximately 5-feet-10 inches with dark hair and a heavy build. He was last seen wearing a gray baseball cap, black jacket, red plaid shirt and blue jeans.
Police said the victim, identified as 56-year-old Homer Garcia, lived in the area.
Garcia's sister, Maribel Garcia, said she could not imagine what could have prompted the stabbing.
"He brought people together with his music," she said. "If there was a family function, he always brought out his guitar, and he'd play...and before you knew it, we were all singing."
Vergara said Wednesday was the first time he had seen the victim, though he said he has seen the suspect multiple times.
"He started going to the restaurant the past 2-3 weeks, and he would just order food, and he would sit there quietly," Vergara said in Spanish. "He wouldn't talk to anyone, he didn't know any type of aggression."
The attack is part of a growing problem in the city, as the Los Angeles Police Department's latest report confirmed there has been an alarming increase in the number of crimes committed by homeless people. According to that report, rapes allegedly committed by the homeless were up 78% and assaults were up 56% compared to the year before.
"It's honestly scary that, like, we live in this community, and stuff like that happens," Karina Sanchez, a resident, said.
And people who live and work downtown said they're aware of the uptick in violence, but said that it speaks to a much bigger issue.
"We have to do something about mental illness," Gloria Vasquez, a resident, said. "We have to pick up and help other people and, unfortunately, I think this has less to do with drugs and more to do with poverty and mental illness."
Anyone with information was asked to call the LAPD Central Division at 213-486-6606.
