8-hour standoff ends in surrender
A Baldwin Village man who stabbed his former girlfriend and her daughter was shot to death Tuesday morning by a neighbor who was arrested in the slaying after an eight-hour standoff with Los Angeles police.
The incident began when Rhett Wilkins, 44, stabbed the two women shortly before 6:30 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 4000 block of Stevely Avenue, said Officer Karen Smithe. The attack was the culmination of a long-running domestic violence dispute involving Wilkins and his ex-girlfriend, police said.
“He had a lengthy history of domestic violence and was the subject of restraining orders,” Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner said of Wilkins.
Witnesses told investigators that after the two women were stabbed, Diedree Edwards, 29, the younger woman’s boyfriend who also lives in the apartment complex, confronted Wilkins and shot him to death, police said.
When police arrived they found Wilkins dead and the two injured women, Garner said. The women were taken to a hospital, where they are expected to recover, Garner said.
Meanwhile, Edwards, who police said also had a criminal history, barricaded himself inside an apartment, Garner said.
“He was an ex-con with a gun, and he didn’t want to give up,” Garner said.
LAPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team surrounded the apartment, and the building was evacuated.
After several hours of negotiations, SWAT officers fired tear gas through the windows about 2:30 p.m. and Edwards subsequently surrendered, police said.
Detective David Garrido said the suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police said that it would be up to prosecutors as to what charges to file against the suspect.
“The good thing is during the standoff he did not do anything stupid,” Garner said.
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