The person accused in three stabbings in a California college town was a university student who was “separated” from the school two days before the first attack, police and university officials said Thursday.
Since late April, two individuals have been killed and a third has been injured in stabbings at parks in Davis, home to the University of California Davis.
Carlos Dominguez, 21, was arrested Thursday on two charges of homicide and one count of attempted murder after being caught near the park where the second killing happened, according to Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel.
The stabbings tense the 66,800-person city west of Sacramento. Because of the violence, UC Davis moved nighttime classes to remote locations.
Police received more than 500 tips. Over a dozen people phoned Pytel on Wednesday after seeing a man matching a suspect description in the park where one of the attacks occurred, leading to the arrest.
According to authorities, David Henry Breaux, 50, and UC Davis student Karim Abou-Najm, 20, were killed. A woman was severely injured after being stabbed.
A motive is being investigated. According to police, they have no evidence that Dominguez knew any of the victims, but they are still investigating. “These crimes were horrific. They’re hard to imagine,” Pytel said.
Dominguez, who was a UC Davis student until last week, has lived in Davis for the last couple of years, Pytel said. The university said he enrolled in 2020 and was a biological science major.
Dominguez was in his third year until April 25, “when he was separated for academic reasons,” UC Davis said in a statement.
The first fatal stabbing occurred on April 27 at 11:20 a.m., when officers responded to a request for a welfare check in the city’s Central Park. Pytel earlier told reporters that they discovered Breaux, who is homeless, crouched over a seat with “very significant” stab wounds.
Abou-Najm died two days later, on Saturday, from injuries incurred in a stabbing at Sycamore Park around 9:14 p.m., according to Pytel. They had both been stabbed “many times,” he claimed.
The third stabbing happened at 11:36 p.m. on Monday. According to Pytel, a homeless woman had fallen asleep in a tent when someone stabbed through the tent and then reached in and began stabbing her.
Officials said the woman could call 911 and survived, but she suffered severe wounds and underwent surgery.
The back-to-back stabbings prompted pleas from police for residents to stay vigilant, and UC Davis officials moved to hold evening classes online rather than in person. The school also added extra security at night, Chancellor Gary May announced.
The victim of Monday’s slashing and a witness to the crime on Saturday gave officials descriptions of the attacker.
Witnesses who observed someone matching the description in Sycamore Park on Wednesday afternoon led to Dominguez’s arrest, according to police. Approximately 15 persons in the vicinity summoned the police.
“One of the callers said, ‘I’m following him right now,’ and he was able to lead us to the person,” Pytel explained.
Dominguez was dressed in the same clothes as described by police after the third attack, according to Pytel, and he was carrying a backpack containing a huge “hunting-style” knife.
Dominguez was initially arrested for the knife, but he was later charged with homicide and attempted murder, according to authorities. The Yolo County district attorney will review the case and decide on formal charges.
Police said investigators have blood and fiber evidence and are ongoing. The victims are believed to have fought back, and Dominguez had some injuries to his hands and wrists, Pytel said.
A phone number connected to Dominguez or anyone related to him could not immediately be found. It was unclear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
UC Davis said in a statement Thursday it was fully cooperating with investigators and would share more updates with the campus community as they are available.
“We are grateful for law enforcement’s quick response and resolution during an extremely difficult period for the city and campus,” it said.
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