Dad is suspect in stabbing deaths of 3 young boys found in SUV in L.A., police say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police believe a man stabbed his three young sons to death in the back seat of their car outside a South Los Angeles elementary school before turning the knife on himself

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck says the boys, ages 8 to 12, were found dead Wednesday morning in the back of an SUV. Their father was bleeding from stab wounds in the front seat and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Officer Matthew Ludwig later said detectives believe the father is the one who killed the boys, and there are no other suspects. The motive is being investigated.

Officer Liliana Preciado says the father's stab wounds are believed to be self-inflicted.

Beck says the crime scene was horrific and that "it is a sad day in LA."


The tragic discovery was made about 7:15 a.m. in the 300 block of East 32nd Street in the Historic South-Central neighborhood, KTLA reports.

The car wherein the children’s bodies were found was parked across the street from Dolores Huerta Elementary School. The children were not students at that school,Beck said during a 2 p.m. news conference.

All the victims were boys between the ages of 8 and 12 who had suffered multiple stab wounds, Beck said, calling the slayings “horrific” and an incident that “(scars) not only the community, but the first responders” who arrived at the scene.

Beck said the boys’ biological mother is deceased and a stepmother is “safe.”