Davis Police arrest man suspected of killing 2, injuring 1 during stabbing spree

DAVIS, Calif. (TCD) -- Police in Northern California announced Thursday they arrested a man suspected of killing two people and injuring one during a dayslong stabbing spree that left the college town on edge.

Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel and other city officials spoke at a press conference May 4 and shared the news about the arrest, which came the same day police said they had detained a person of interest in the case.

Pytel identified the suspect as 21-year-old Carlos Dominguez. He was reportedly a student at University of California, Davis "up until last week" and was taken into custody on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide.

Police executed a search warrant at his house Thursday.

On May 2, Davis Police described the suspect as a light-skinned thin male between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-9 wearing a black or blue sweatshirt, black Adidas pants with white stripes, black shoes, and a brown backpack.

Once that description went out, several people called police to report seeing a man in Sycamore Park that matched the description. One witness began following him, and Davis Police eventually caught up with him and started speaking with him. Pytel said Dominguez had "physical evidence" on him and was wearing dark clothing matching the description. Dominguez reportedly had a "large knife" with him that matched what detectives were searching for.

Pytel said police initially arrested him for possessing the knife, which he described as a "hunting-style knife." Detectives continued to investigate and later filed homicide charges.

A statement released by the University of California, Davis confirmed Dominguez was a student in his third year until April 25 when he was "separated for academic reasons."

The attacks shook the area for several days.

On April 27 at 11:20 a.m., Davis Police conducted a welfare check on an unresponsive individual at Central Park and found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds in what police called a "significantly violent attack." Officials later identified the victim as 50-year-old David Breaux, who was known around town as the "Compassion Guy."

Two days later, on April 29 at 9:14 p.m., a resident near Sycamore Park heard "what sounded like a disturbance" and located a male also suffering from stab wounds. The Davis police and fire departments arrived at the scene and declared the victim deceased.

He was identified the next day as 20-year-old Karim Abou Najm. He had attended the University of California, Davis and Davis High School.

The stabbings continued May 1 at a homeless camp near 2nd and L streets when the suspect attacked a victim through her tent. Pytel identified her as "Kimberly."

A motive remains unknown.

MORE:

• Press Conference - Davis Police Department
• Crime Update - Davis Police Department
• A Message Regarding the Death of David Breaux - City of Davis
• Homicide Update - Davis Police Department
• Stabbing at Sycamore Park - Davis Police Department
• Knife Assault - Davis Police Department
• Statement Following Davis Police Department Briefing - UC Davis News
• 'Compassion guy' found dead with multiple stab wounds at California park - TCD