Suspect in Montebello bus stabbing arrested
Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives have arrested a man suspected of stabbing another man aboard a Montebello bus on Monday.
Detectives arrested Manuel Ortiz, a 27-year-old transient, at about 1 a.m. Monday while Ortiz was being treated at a medical facility for unspecified reasons, the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
On Monday morning, Ortiz and the victim were riding a municipal bus on Route 10 that was westbound on Whittier Boulevard. When the bus arrived in the 5700 block of Whittier Boulevard at 10:13 a.m., Ortiz stabbed the other man multiple times in the torso with a knife, got off the bus then ran away, authorities said.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was in critical condition on Thursday, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Video released by the Sheriff’s Department shows a man in a hat and sunglasses standing in the aisle of the bus as it travels. His right hand appears to be in his pants pocket. When the bus appears to stop, with its door opening, the man walks toward the front of the vehicle and pulls a knife on someone sitting near the door.
“It was a savage attack and one that caused us great concern,” Sheriff Jim McDonnell said in a statement. “It was seemingly unprovoked, as the suspect walked towards the front of the bus, pulled a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times.”
Investigators are continuing to search for any additional witnesses or evidence related to the attack. The motive remains unknown, and the stabbing does not appear to be gang-related, authorities said.
Ortiz has been booked in the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held without bail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Twitter: @haileybranson
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