Man Fatally Stabs 4 in California Crime Spree, Police Say

A 33-year-old man went on a deadly crime spree Wednesday in Southern California, fatally stabbing four people and injuring two others in what appeared to be a random, hate-fueled series of attacks over three hours before he was arrested, the police said.

The man, whose name was not immediately released, was taken into custody at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Santa Ana, Calif., about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Lt. Carl Whitney of the Garden Grove Police Department said.

The police said they did not yet know the motive for the attacks, but noted the man was also responsible for several robberies, a number of which were connected to the killings.

“It’s just pure hate — this guy did this,” Lieutenant Whitney said at a news conference late Wednesday night. “We know this guy was full of anger and he harmed a lot of people tonight.”

Lieutenant Whitney said the crimes began around 4 p.m. when a burglary was reported at an apartment complex in Garden Grove, a city of 175,000 people next to Santa Ana in Orange County. He said the attacker lived in the apartment complex.

Twenty minutes later, the police received a report of a robbery at a nearby bakery. At about 5 p.m., the police found two men with multiple stab wounds back at the apartment complex. One was pronounced dead at the scene, while another died from his wounds at a nearby hospital, Lieutenant Whitney said.

At about 5:40 p.m., a robbery was reported at a check cashing business in Garden Grove. Shortly after 6 p.m., another robbery was reported at an insurance business, where an employee had been stabbed multiple times. She is expected to survive, Lieutenant Whitney said.

“She fought as best she could against this suspect,” he said.

Shortly afterward, at a nearby Chevron gas station, the attacker confronted a man pumping gas and stabbed him multiple times, the police said.

The man, who was not robbed, was taken to a nearby hospital and was expected to survive, Lieutenant Whitney said. He said the man’s nose was nearly severed off his face.

The police then found the suspect’s car, a silver Mercedes, at the 7-Eleven. The man disarmed and fatally stabbed a security guard inside the store, taking the guard’s gun. As the suspect walked out, he was confronted by police officers, who arrested him without incident.

Lieutenant Whitney said that an employee at a Subway restaurant across the street was also found stabbed to death.

“These were all random acts of violence,” Lieutenant Whitney said. “Our suspect was not associated with any of our victims.”

Lieutenant Whitney said early Thursday morning that the attacker was being held at the Garden Grove Police Department and that charges were pending.

Chief Tom DaRé of the Garden Grove Police Department, who also spoke at the news conference, said, “I would like our community to know there is no threat tonight after this suspect was taken into custody.”