Los Angeles police arrested a man Sunday for the brutal stabbing death of a 68-year-old taxi driver near a fast-food restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, according to the department.
The 32-year-old man was taken into custody around 1 p.m. in the Central Division area, LAPD Sgt. Anthony Costello told City News Service.
Patrol officers saw Daniel Victor Torres of Los Angeles, who fit the suspect description in the 500 block of North Main Street and stopped him for questioning, the department reported.
Torres was subsequently interviewed by homicide detectives, who determined he was responsible for the killing of Oganes Papazyan of Burbank, police said.
Torres was booked for Papazyans’ murder and was being held on $2 million bail, according to police.
His arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday.
Papazyan was killed Friday evening. Officers responded to a fire department call for backup near a Burger King restaurant at Grand and Cesar E. Chavez avenues, where a crowd had gathered, according to LAPD Officer Drake Madison.
“Brutal stabbing, the most brutal act I’ve ever seen,” witness Michael Bullard told NBC4.
Papazyan died at the scene. An autopsy was pending, coroner’s officials said.
“The guy knocked him (Papazyan) down and stabbed him right in front of me,” Bullard said. “(The suspect) went back into the car, looked for some money or something, went to reverse the car, he was going to run the guy over, then took off running.”
The male suspect (Torres, allegedly) was last seen fleeing the location, heading toward Hill Street on Cesar E. Chavez, police said.