Update: Woman critical after a 3rd stabbing in Davis; FBI, DOJ join investigation
DAVIS -- Students at the University of California, Davis, should stay indoors as police hunt for a suspect after a third knife attack following two fatal stabbings in less than a week near campus, authorities said.
The startling advice for students not to venture out follows the killings Saturday evening of a UC Davis senior and Thursday of a 50-year-old man at different parks near campus. About 40,000 students are enrolled at UC-Davis while the city has some 68,000 residents.
Police received a call about the third stabbing at 11:46 p.m. Monday, according to a news release from the city, which said the attack "occurred in a known transient camp" around 2nd and L streets.
The female victim told police the suspect stabbed her more than once through a tent, the release said. She was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where she is in critical condition.
City officials described the suspect as a man with curly hair, a thin build and a light complexion between 5-foot-6 and -9 inches tall. He was wearing a black or blue sweatshirt, black pants with white stripes and was carrying a brown backpack.
"The suspect matches the description of previous stabbing incidents," campus police said early Tuesday as they announced the shelter-in-place alert shortly after the latest attack.
Many local and regional agencies have responded to assist in the search, including Yolo County Sheriff's deputies and police officers from Sacramento, Elk Grove, Woodland, and West Sacramento. Drones and K-9 units are also being used to search yard-to-yard in places.
When asked if this is the work of a serial stabber, Lieutenant Dan Beckwith from Davis Police Department said, "I don't think we're ready to say that right now. [We're] still in very preliminary stages...This is very fresh, we are taking it seriously."
Darren Pytel, Davis' chief of police, spoke in a press conference later Tuesday morning and detailed all the information authorities have at the moment -- making note of how particularly "violent" the first two stabbings were. Still, he noted that detectives have yet to positively link all three crimes.
"We've had three stabbings, two homicides, and they've occurred over the past couple of days. That's, to my knowledge, not ever occurred in Davis," Pytel said. "[And] I've been with the department coming up on 40 years now."
Pytel also talked about how, after Monday's incident, officers conducted house-to-house searches in the neighborhood but couldn't find the suspect.
The police chief said that all his forces are now doing 12-hour shifts and stepping up patrols all over town. Mutual aid patrols have also been enlisted from nearby agencies.
Both the FBI and the Department of Justice are helping in the investigation. The Sacramento County district attorney's crime lab is also helping sort through evidence.
UC Davis officials said there are no changes to day classes on Tuesday, but later announced that all classes that end after 6 p.m. would be taught remotely.
Organizers have canceled the Wednesday night edition of the Davis Farmers Market due to the recent incidents.
"We still plan to host our signature Saturday market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Central Park. See you then. Stay safe," the market's organizers said in a Facebook post.
The suspect in Saturday's deadly knife attack is believed to be a "light-skinned male, possibly Hispanic," between 19 and 23 years old and between 5-foot-7 and -8 inches tall with long curly hair, city police in Davis, California, said Sunday in a news release.
The FBI has joined state and local law enforcement in a manhunt for the suspect.
Extra officers were being deployed to patrol around schools and parks, the Davis Police Department said Sunday, adding it "understands the uncertainty, fear and panic that is arising in the community."
"At this time, it is strongly recommended that the community remain vigilant, be aware of your surroundings, and call the Davis Police Department if anyone acting violent, suspicious or matching the description provided is seen," police said.
Extra patrols also were being added on campus and the UC Davis Police Safe Rides Program, which offers free rides and walking escorts to students on campus after dark, would expand, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May announced Sunday, calling the student's death "deeply unsettling."
UC Davis Police announced Monday evening the school had enlisted additional personnel through a private Sacramento-based security firm.
Authorities Monday were still probing the deaths of UC Davis computer science major Karim Abou Najm at Sycamore Park and David Breaux at nearby Central Park. Tips had led to some arrests "on unrelated charges or outstanding warrants, although none of these individuals have been linked to the murders," city police said.
"Although there are common factors between these two brutal crimes, such as the brutal nature of the crimes and that the suspect likely used a knife, there are no known connections between the victims; investigators are still determining whether the incidents are linked," they said.