HAWTHORNE : 5 Teen-Agers Charged in Slaying, Stabbing at Party

Five teen-agers were charged Thursday with murder and attempted murder in connection with the slaying of one man and the stabbing of another at a party in Hawthorne.

Edward Willie Salazar, 18, of Redondo Beach and four youths ages 14 to 16, who were not identified because they are minors, were taken into custody after the attack early Tuesday. Salazar and one of the youths also were charged with the rape of a 17-year-old girl at the party, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Tim Smith.

A 34-year-old Hawthorne man, whose name has not been released, was killed, and Ronald Williams, 37, of Los Angeles, was critically wounded when they were stabbed repeatedly during a fight at a home in the 4600 block of 141st Street, said Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Brown.

Williams was in critical condition with stab wounds to the upper body at a local hospital, Brown said.

Investigators confiscated three kitchen knives and a screwdriver they believe were used in the crimes, Brown said. Officials said all the youths charged were suspected gang members.