Authorities on Tuesday released surveillance video and a sketch of a suspect in the deadly stabbing of a retired California State University Fullerton administrator whose body was found inside his car at a campus parking lot the previous morning.
Fullerton police identified the victim as 57-year-old Steven Shek Keung Chan of Hacienda Heights, whom they believe was targeted in the attack.
The Police Department said they responded to the parking lot near the College Park building around 8:27 a.m. Monday after receiving a 911 call about a “male down, bleeding from the head.” Officers found the victim inside an Infiniti sedan with stab wounds all over his body. Chan was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Tuesday, police provided CCTV footage, timestamped 8:22 a.m., showing a man wearing a black top, pants and hat running northeast of the crime scene. He was seen fleeing a nearby parking lot in a black, four-door sedan with black wheels and tinted windows east of the 57 Freeway, according to the Police Department.
Detectives believe the vehicle is a newer model BMW X6. Police also released video stills of the car.
They described the assailant as an Asian man in his mid-20s wearing a black windbreaker and black pants. He was spotted running east on Nutwood Avenue. Investigators believe the killer might have suffered lacerations to one or both of his hands during the attack.
A bomb squad with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department also reported finding an “incendiary device” inside a backpack under the victim’s car, Fullerton police said. The bag also contained zip ties, “disguise materials” including wigs, and other items consistent with a kidnapping plot. There was also a knife, but the weapon used in the killing was not in the backpack, police said.
The victim served as the school’s director of budget and finance and student services for university extended education from 2009 until he retired in 2017, according to Cal State Fullerton. Chan returned to the university as a special consultant in early 2019.
Chan’s family released a statement to the media Tuesday, thanking investigators and the media but saying they had no further comment as the father’s death remained under investigation.
“At this time of grief, we would appreciate some privacy, especially for the kids, as they try to transition back into a ‘normal’ life,” the statement read. “They are Steven’s most precious treasures and that’s what he would’ve wanted for them. Thank you for your kindness.”
Chan was killed as the campus prepared for the first day of classes on Saturday.
Authorities said staffers and students can expect to see law enforcement presence on campus over the following week. They asked anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Victoria Chandler at 714-738-6754 or vchandler@fullertonpd.org. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call the O.C. Crime Stoppers hotline at 855-TIP-OCCS or visit occrimestoppers.org.