Woman’s Ex-Boyfriend Slain in Knife Fight

A 23-year-old Arleta man was killed in a knife fight with his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend Wednesday afternoon at the woman’s Panorama City residence, police said.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Warren Knowles said the survivor of the fight, Walter Escalante, 20, was not arrested because it appeared that the dead man attacked first.

But Knowles said police will describe events that led up to the fight to lawyers in the district attorney’s office, who will make the final decision on whether criminal charges should be filed.

The fight broke out about noon, when the man--whose identity was not released because his relatives had not been notified--came to the residence of his ex-girlfriend, Wendy Pelvin, and found her with Escalante, her boyfriend.

Escalante was seriously injured in the fight, Knowles said, but was in stable condition at an area hospital later in the day. Knowles refused to disclose the name of the hospital.

Pelvin told authorities that she and her former boyfriend had been separated for nearly 1 1/2 years. Earlier in the day, she said, he had forced his way into her house in the 8000 block of Matilija Street and threw her to the ground, but fled when her brother-in-law arrived.