Man Chased, Fatally Stabbed in Parking Lot

A 19-year-old Pacoima man was stabbed to death after being chased down by suspected gang members in a shopping center parking lot, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.

Hector Martinez died at Holy Cross Medical Center shortly after he was stabbed about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot at Glenoaks and Van Nuys boulevards, Detective Al Ferrand said. No arrests were made.

Martinez and a 20-year-old friend were walking near the shopping center when three men confronted them and chased them the length of the parking lot, Ferrand said. The 20-year-old, whose name was not released, escaped unharmed, but Martinez was caught and stabbed repeatedly in the upper body.

Some of the stores in the center were still open and eight witnesses saw parts of the attack, Ferrand said. They provided police with the license number of the pickup truck in which the attackers escaped. The truck, which had been stolen, was later found abandoned in Sylmar.

Because of statements made by witnesses, police believe the attackers were gang members.