A man who was wanted on suspicion of stabbing a high school student in El Sereno was taken into custody after being barricaded inside his Alhambra home Wednesday morning.
The barricaded man surrendered “without incident” around 9:15 a.m. after an hourslong standoff.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed multiple officers escorting the man into the back of a squad car.
The unidentified man is believed to have fatally stabbed Xavier Daniel Chavarin, 17, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School around 3:55 p.m. last Friday, authorities said.
The attack happened in the 4500 block of Valley Boulevard while Chavarin was waiting for his family to pick him up after school.
Police previously released surveillance video of the suspect which matched the description of the man taken into custody Tuesday morning.
The man was seen getting out of a dark-colored SUV before walking across a parking lot and attacking Chavarin. He stabbed the teen repeatedly in the back before fleeing from the scene, police said.
Witnesses said the victim walked into a nearby King Torta shop and asked for help before collapsing on the floor.
The man had apparently stabbed another person just a few hours later and is said to have mental health problems. He has had run ins with law enforcement in the past, Los Angeles Police Department officials confirmed to KTLA.
In the second incident, a 33-year-old father was stabbed in the 5400 block of Valley Boulevard around 8:55 p.m. that night.
In both stabbings, the suspect appears to be wearing the same clothing, although in the second attack, he removed his baseball hat and was riding a skateboard during his assault, police said.
Authorities have not released any further information about either incidents, and a motive behind both crimes remains unknown.
A memorial has been set up at the spot where Chavarin was attacked. Loved ones remember him as a hardworking, straight-A student.
“He was going to graduate with honors,” said Rosario Chavarin, the victim’s great-aunt. “There are no words to describe the pain.”
“He was just waiting for his mother on the sidewalk,” said Ricky Ramiro, a family friend. “He never knew this was going to happen. It’s one of those cases where he’s just at the wrong time, wrong place.”
Parents who have children attending school in the area are now concerned for their children’s safety.
“Our children deserve to be safe,” said Maria Brenes, an El Sereno resident. “No mother deserves to have their child lost, especially in such a tragic, devastating way.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Chavarin family with funeral expenses.