2 teens arrested for fatal stabbing on Long Beach Metro train
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Two teenagers have been arrested in the stabbing death of a man who was attacked aboard a Metro Blue Line train in Long Beach, authorities said Saturday.
Akili Collins, 18, was arrested Friday on suspicion of murder and Melake Daniel, 19, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact, the Long Beach Police Department reported. Both suspects are from Long Beach.
Collins' bail was set at $2 million and Daniel's bail was set at $1 million.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Long Beach PD searching for suspects in deadly Metro Blue Line train stabbing
Police responded shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to reports of a stabbing aboard the train in the 100 block of East First Street and found Luis Fernando Polita, 25, of Los Angeles, suffering from multiple stab wounds to the upper body. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Investigators determined that Polita boarded the train in an undisclosed area outside of Long Beach. At some point after the train entered Long Beach, the suspects boarded the train, immediately approached the victim and physically assaulted him, police said.
During the attack, one of the suspects pull out a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times. When the train came to a stop at the Metro station near First Street and Pine Avenue, the suspects allegedly exited and fled on foot prior to the arrival of police.
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Long Beach police said they are still trying to determine a motive for the attack, but it "does not appear to be random," meaning the victim was specifically targeted.
Detectives on Friday located and arrested Collins and Daniel near the 900 block of East Broadway.
It was not immediately clear whether police were still seeking a third suspect.
The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration early next week.
Anyone with information about the attack was asked to contact Homicide Detectives Donald Collier or Chasen Contreras at 562-570-7244. Callers who choose to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.