32-Year-Old Man Charged by L.A. County D.A.'s Office for Fatal Stabbing of Teen Xavier Chavari

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, headed by George Gascón, has announced that a 32-year-old man has been charged with the fatal stabbing of teen Xavier Chavarin and the attempted murder of Daniel Villalobos last week.

District Attorney Gascón expressed his condolences for the Chavarin family and called the incident a tragedy, stating that Xavier's life was cut short before he had a chance to fulfill his full potential. He added that his office will hold the perpetrator accountable for his actions.

David Anthony Zapata, born on November 16, 1990, has been charged in case BA513243 with one count each of murder and attempted murder, with the special allegation of personally using a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

On March 3, Chavarin was waiting for his mother in front of a restaurant in the 4500 block of Valley Boulevard in El Sereno when Zapata allegedly approached him from behind and stabbed him in the back. Chavarin died moments later. Zapata fled and got into the passenger seat of an SUV.

Later that day, Zapata is accused of stabbing Villalobos, 33, multiple times in a parking lot in the 5400 block of Valley Boulevard. Villalobos was taken to a nearby hospital and is recovering from his injuries.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.

This press release is an official statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.