No Charges Filed in Birthday Stabbing : Justice: A Pacoima woman who stabbed her ex-boyfriend to death at her son’s birthday party was acting in self-defense, the district attorney’s office said.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to file murder charges against a 23-year-old Pacoima woman who fatally stabbed her ex-boyfriend, saying the woman acted in self-defense.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Myron L. Jenkins said Robert Bridges, 28, of Apple Valley assaulted Cynthia Stafford and threatened to kill her shortly before she stabbed him to death with a newly purchased kitchen knife at a crowded family pizza restaurant Saturday night.

The killing occurred during a birthday party for Stafford’s 3-year-old son after the couple argued about Bridges’ alleged sexual abuse of the boy. Before she used the knife, Stafford repeatedly warned Bridges to stay away from her, but he menaced her and dared her to kill him, Jenkins said.

“She had a reasonable apprehension for her own life and bodily safety,” Jenkins said. “He was 5 feet, 7 inches and 185 pounds, and she was 5 feet, 2 inches and 115 pounds.”

Los Angeles police detectives interviewed more than 15 witnesses to reconstruct the prolonged confrontation that began an hour and a half before the stabbing--about 7:30 p.m.--when Bridges arrived uninvited and intoxicated at the Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theater restaurant in Granada Hills.

Stafford, who had recently broken up with Bridges after living with him for about six months, was at the restaurant with about 15 children and adult friends to celebrate her son’s birthday.

When Bridges arrived at the restaurant, Stafford confronted him with the allegation that he had molested the boy, witnesses said.

Jenkins said the child had complained to his mother about the sexual abuse shortly before or just after the couple broke up.

Witnesses said Bridges admitted abusing the child, but was unrepentant and wanted to participate in the birthday party because he had contributed money for the birthday cake.

The argument escalated, and Bridges grew louder and more abusive until the staff at the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant ejected him. As he was dragged out, Bridges told the restaurant manager “I am going to kill the bitch,” Jenkins said.

Later, Stafford left the restaurant to use a phone in front of a supermarket a few feet away. As Stafford was on the phone, Bridges smashed her head into the supermarket’s glass window, gripped her head in a hammerlock, and bit her lip, witnesses said.

Stafford bit his arm to get away, and fled into the market. Bridges followed her, but the supermarket staff--alerted to the commotion--ejected him from the store.

In the supermarket, Stafford purchased a 10-inch steak knife, then returned to the pizza restaurant. About 9 p.m., Bridges stormed back into the restaurant.

“She screamed, ‘Stay back, get away, you raped my son,’ ” Jenkins said, but Bridges ignored her and advanced toward her.

Stafford slashed his neck with the knife, then stepped back and again begged him to stay away from her. But he continued to advance, taunting her about molesting her child and daring her to kill him, witnesses told police.

“He said, ‘If you are going to kill me, then do it,’ ” said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. That’s when Stafford stabbed him in the chest and stomach, she said.

Bridges was rushed to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he died about 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

Jenkins said Wednesday that Stafford had a right to defend herself against an attack that she had good reason to believe was imminent.

“She did not have to wait for him to beat her up again,” Jenkins said. When Stafford was arrested she was bleeding and bruised and “that pushed the scales of justice towards the side of self-defense,” he said.

Detective John Birrer said that Stafford, who has been held in Los Angeles County Jail since the Saturday night incident, would be released Wednesday evening after she was arraigned for a misdemeanor traffic violation.