Several 911 Callers Reported Shawn Smith Sighting Before Arrest In Old Town Pasadena
PASADENA (CBSLA) — Several calls to 911 reported seeing murder suspect Shawn Smith in Old Town Pasadena just before he was arrested, police said Thursday.
One of those callers told the 911 operator the man he spotted looked very similar to the man wanted for stabbing Brianna Kupfer to death in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles.
"So he had a black hoodie on. He had on, like, dark sweat pants. And he had a backpack, a black backpack that was very similar to the one I've seen in images," the caller said.
Pasadena city officials say the call was just one of several they received Wednesday, just before officers swarmed the area and arrested Smith, who was cooperative and quiet as he was arrested and transferred into LAPD custody. FBI agents were also on the scene, but it's not clear how they are involved in the case.
Smith has an extensive criminal history, and has been charged with several offenses in other states, including allegedly firing into a vehicle with a person inside. He is believed to be homeless and moving between different areas.
Kupfer, 24, was working alone at Croft House, a furniture store in Hancock Park, when she was stabbed to death last Thursday. Police say she texted a friend that she had a "bad vibe" about someone who had entered the store, and was found fatally stabbed 15 minutes later by a customer.
The shocking murder in Hancock Park, a wealthy neighborhood in the middle of Los Angeles, had roused a flood of private donations to help catch her killer, bringing the reward for information to $250,000. Because so many callers had reported Smith's presence in Pasadena, it's not clear how the reward will be distributed after a conviction is secured in the case.
