Global Courant 2023-05-05 02:58:45
California authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a former University of California student, Davis, charged with a series of stabbings that left two people dead and another injured over the past week, crimes that rocked the small college town.
Davis police said 15 tipsters reported Wednesday that they had seen a person matching the description of the suspect provided by authorities. A caller said they followed the suspect, who was eventually stopped by police officers.
“It appeared he had physical evidence on him that could be part of the investigation,” Davis police chief Darren Pytel said at a news conference.
After several hours of questioning, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Carlos Dominguez, a Davis resident, was arrested for possession of a large “hunting-style” knife with which he was found and arrested again later Thursday on suspicion of two murders and one attempted murder, Pytel said.
Pytel described Dominguez as a serial killer. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday.
STABBINGS LEAVES UC DAVIS ON EDGE AS MANY STUDENTS OPT FOR DISTANCE LESSONS: ‘PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT GOING OUTSIDE’
Three stabbings near the UC Davis campus killed two people, including a student, between April 27 and Monday. A former UC Davis student has been arrested for the murders, police said. (Facebook/Davis Police)
Dominguez attended the University of California, Davis until last week. He was in his third year at the school until April 25 when he was separated for academic reasons, the university said.
“We are working with law enforcement to provide access to all information as part of the investigation,” a school statement said. “We are providing support to any students who may have interacted with him. As we learn more and can provide updates that do not interfere with ongoing research, we will.”
At the time of his arrest, Dominguez was found in the area where the second attack took place wearing the same clothing that witnesses described as the third attack, authorities said. There is no indication that Dominguez knew any of the victims, police said.
The arrest came after the series of attacks that began on April 27 with the stabbing of 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, who was found dead in the city’s Central Park. Breaux was known locally as the “compassion guy” because he often asked passers-by what “compassion” meant to them, according to FOX 40 Sacramento.
There were no witnesses to the attack.
According to FOX 40 Sacramento, David Breaux was known locally as the “compassion guy” because he often asked passers-by what “compassion” meant to them. (FOX 40 Sacramento)
On April 29, Karim Abou Najm, a UC Davis student, was fatally stabbed while walking home and Kimberlee Guillory, 64, a homeless woman, was attacked in her tent on Monday. She was stabbed several times but survived.
Investigators sought help from the FBI to determine whether a serial killer might have been involved in the murders, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said Wednesday. He said the term applies to Dominguez based on the definition of a serial killer.
“If you use the very strict definition, then yes,” he said.
The university said evening classes would resume after being canceled due to security concerns.
Karim Abou Najim studied computer science and would graduate cum laude in six weeks. (FOX 40)
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“We’ve been in contact with the FBI and we’re trying to get profilers on board to make that decision. We’ve done that in the past… We hope to get the same support with this one to make that decision,” Pytel said Wednesday while responding to a reporter’s question about the possibility of a serial killer near campus.
