Davis, California, deadly stabbings suspect arrested, police say
An arrest has been made in connection with a string of stabbings near UC Davis in California, police announced Thursday.
Carlos Dominguez, 21, had been taken into custody Wednesday and was formally arrested a day later after allegedly admitting to at least one of the stabbings, CBS Sacramento reported, but police would not confirm if that was true.
About 15 people called police Wednesday to report seeing a person who matched the suspect's description in Sycamore Park where one of the stabbings occurred. After he was taken into custody, detectives interviewed the suspect for "many hours," Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said Thursday. He was initially arrested around 1:20 a.m. local time for possessing a large knife that he had on him when he was taken into custody. At around 1 p.m. local time Thursday, he was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, Pytel said.
Police said that when Dominguez was taken into custody he was still wearing the same clothes that he had been seen wearing during the third stabbing attack, which took place two days earlier. "That's highly unusual," Pytel noted.
Dominguez was a student at UC Davis until last week, Pytel said. UC Davis said in a statement shortly after Thursday's press conference that Dominguez was in his third year at the school but was "separated for academic reasons" on April 25.
Dominguez had been living in Davis for several years, police said.
Police were searching his residence Thursday afternoon and "significant and related evidence has already been discovered," Davis police said in a statement. Police also questioned several other people who live at the residence, who "provided us information," Pytel said.
Police were still investigating a possible motive and it was not clear if Dominguez knew any of the victims, Pytel said. When asked if he would consider Dominguez a serial killer, Pytel said, that definition "would apply."
Pytel said he was not aware if Dominguez had any previous criminal history.
At least three people were stabbed, two fatally, near the campus of UC Davis within the last two weeks. The body of 50-year-old David Breaux was found with multiple stab wounds on April 27 in a local park.
Two days later, UC Davis student Karim Abou-Najm, 20, was killed in a different park about a mile north of campus. Abou-Najm was killed while biking home from an academic award ceremony on campus, CBS Sacramento reported. It is believed that the suspect fled the scene on Abou-Najm's bike, according to CBS Sacramento.
One person witnessed the stabbing and saw the suspect flee, Pytel said Thursday. Police began a search that night, but could not find the suspect. Police did recover the bike outside the park that same night, deputy chief Todd Henry said Thursday.
Police on Monday then found a woman, identified Thursday by police as Kimberly, suffering from multiple stab wounds at a homeless encampment near the college campus. Pytel said Thursday that Dominguez appeared to have slashed open her tent and stabbed her multiple times. She was treated at the scene and then taken to a local hospital, where she was in critical condition, CBS Sacramento reported. Pytel said Thursday that she is "recovering."
Police again launched a search but were unable to locate the suspect at the time.