LOCAL : Seven Held in Stabbing Death of Woman During Robbery Spree

Seven Watts gang members were booked on murder charges today in the death of a woman stabbed during a 10-minute crime spree by a band of up to 14 bicycle-riding suspects. The assailants also wounded the woman’s husband and robbed two other couples.

During the series of attacks Thursday evening, the gang members surrounded their victims with bikes, then beat them and pushed them to the ground while grabbing the woman’s purse and going through the man’s pockets.

In all, 14 suspects were detained after the third attack after a police helicopter followed them as they pedalled their bikes to a house, Lt. Larry Kallestad said.

During the second of three attacks, one victim, Tomasa Rivas, 44, apparently tried to get away and was stabbed to death. “Her husband was already down and she kind of resisted and broke away,” Kallestad said. “Someone chased her and stabbed her and then stabbed her husband.”