Teenager dies after being stabbed, shot outside Metro Red Line station in Downtown LA
A teenage boy died after being stabbed and shot outside of a Metro Red Line station in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.
According to Los Angeles Police Department investigators, the incident occurred at around 5:40 p.m. near the Metro Red Line platform on 7th Street and Flower Street.
The victim, who has since been identified by family members as Marcos Lopez, 13, was rushed to a hospital following the incident, where he was pronounced dead Thursday. person was hospitalized and remains in critical condition.
According to the victim's family, the victim had just ridden the Red Line home from school with his 14-year-old cousin when they were approached by a man at a Chik-fil-A near the station.
After a conversation, in which the victims were reportedly asked where they were from and what gang the two were part of, they left the restaurant and an altercation occurred and the victim was stabbed five times.
"There was two people ... they had asked him where he was from, I guess he gave 'em a look and it got, you know, out of hand," said a friend of Lopez's, who was with him at the time of the incident. "That's when we stepped in."
Friends say that the person who stabbed Lopez also appeared to be young, approximately 15-years-old.
"I don't know how he got the urge to stab a little kid when he only 13," said Destiny Chavez, another friend of Lopez.
The family says that neither the victim nor his cousin are in a gang.
Elianna Cortez, the victim's aunt and the mother of the 14-year-old, said her son was detained for trying to break up the fight. She spoke with him on the phone after police first put him in handcuffs.
"My son ran away with handcuffs. So now I'm over here trying to find my son as well," Cortez said. "When I say police don't really help — he's pointing out, 'That guy just stabbed him,' and you're just focused on my son cause he went in the fight to separate them."
He reportedly ran away from the area, while still handcuffed, prompting a large perimeter as police searched for him.
"He was in handcuffs at the time, and then ran away from the location," said LAPD Sergeant Gordon Hebler. "We don't know that person's involvement, they were just being detained at the time of the incident. So, we'd like to get with that person and find out what they know."
At around 10:10 p.m., officers reported that they had detained two juveniles somehow connected to the stabbing, but did not clarify if either was the woman's son. They also said that a third suspect possibly remains outstanding.
Authorities are also still searching for the suspects.
Two teenagers were also taken into custody Wednesday night for things unrelated to the incident.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, all Red Line operations were placed on hold for hours on Wednesday.
