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A man suspected of being involved in the stabbing of a teenager in El Sereno and potentially another attack was apprehended by the police after a standoff that lasted several hours. The suspect was believed to be holed up in a house in Alhambra, which the police had surrounded.
After more than two hours, the authorities convinced the suspect to surrender peacefully shortly after 9 a.m.
The man's identity has not been disclosed, but the authorities think he is responsible for two separate stabbing incidents in the El Sereno area on March 3.
The first one resulted in the death of Xavier Chavarin, a straight-A student from Woodrow Wilson High School who was waiting for his mother outside a restaurant in El Sereno when he was attacked.
The suspect was seen approaching Chavarin from a car, stabbing him multiple times in the back with a large knife, before he collapsed and died inside the restaurant while trying to seek help.
The suspect was later believed to have stabbed a 33-year-old man just down the road.
The authorities have described the suspect as a 5-foot-1-inch man with long wavy black hair, a long beard, and dressed in all-black clothing.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has sent additional counselors to Woodrow Wilson High School to comfort students and staff.
A memorial has been set up at the site of the stabbing, filled with flowers and messages for the family. Chavarin's family has also set up a GoFundMe to help pay for his funeral and memorial services.
