SOUTHWEST LOS ANGELES : Witnesses Catch Suspect After Fatal Stabbing
A 27-year-old man was chased and caught by witnesses Thursday after the fatal stabbing of a businesswoman in front of her Southwest Los Angeles beauty shop. The man had stalked her for weeks, LAPD detectives said.
Loretta Steele, 50, had obtained a restraining order against Patrick Duncan after he had attacked her a few weeks earlier, Detective Dick Simmons said.
Police said Duncan approached the woman in her shop in the 8900 block of Western Avenue and began arguing after she ordered him to leave. The argument moved to the sidewalk, where the stabbing occurred.
Duncan leaped on his bicycle and rode off, but three men who had seen the stabbing captured him about two blocks away after persuading motorists to help them in the pursuit.
Simmons said the stalking and murder may have followed a spurned relationship.
The witnesses held Duncan for police, who booked him on suspicion of murder.
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