Local News in Brief : Man on Freeway Was Stabbed, Hit by Vehicle

A man whose body was found on the Golden State Freeway near Castaic had been stabbed several times and run over by a vehicle, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported Sunday.

The man was identified as a 23-year-old Los Angeles resident, said Sheriff’s Detective Dick Kennerly. His name was not disclosed pending notification of relatives.

A passing motorist found the man, clad only in jeans and boots, shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday in the far right lane of the freeway about a mile south of the Templin Highway exit, authorities said.

An autopsy Sunday indicated that the man died from stab wounds in the chest and back as well as being run over by a vehicle, Kennerly said. Bloodstains and torn clothing on the pavement indicated there was a struggle on the freeway shoulder, he said.

Investigators theorize that a short time after the struggle and stabbing, the victim was hit by the vehicle, Kennerly said. Detectives were seeking the driver of that vehicle, which Kennerly would not describe.

The Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol are seeking witnesses to the stabbing, he said. Detectives knew of no suspects or motive in the death, he said.