Man Stabbed in 2 Separate Attacks Dies After Second

Santa Ana police officers made two trips to the same apartment Sunday afternoon--and the second time it involved a homicide.

When officers were first called to the house in the 100 block of East Central Avenue, they encountered two men, 41 and 18, who had suffered stab wounds in their arms, allegedly during a fight with a neighbor. The older man refused medical treatment.

Twenty minutes later, police were summoned again. The man who had chosen not to go to the hospital had been stabbed again--allegedly by the same man. And this time, police said, he died.

The dead man’s name was not released pending family notification, said Maureen Thomas, a Police Department spokeswoman. She said he was stabbed in the chest with a 6-inch hunting knife.

Officers said the incident began at 4:20 p.m. with an argument among three men who were drinking at the home of Rafael Rodriguez. Police said they did not know what the fight was about.

Rodriguez, 18, was stabbed in the left arm and the elder victim also suffered a minor stab wound. Rodriguez was taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, where he was treated and released. The older man refused to allow paramedics to treat him, Thomas said. He was declared dead on arrival at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana less than 30 minutes after the second stabbing.

Both men were stabbed, allegedly by the same man, a resident of an adjoining apartment building, Thomas said. She added that detectives late Monday were in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for a suspect identified as Felipe Heredia, 48, of 124 1/2 Central Ave., who is believed to have fled the neighborhood on foot.