Davis officials warn of ‘brutal’ nature of knife attacks, but aren’t linking them yet

Davis officials on Tuesday described a series of stabbings over the past five days as one of the worst spasms of violence in city history but said they still have not linked the three attacks and are not ready to declare a serial killer is targeting Davis.

“The attacks were particularly violent and brazen,” Police Chief Darren Pytel said at a news briefing Tuesday morning, less than 12 hours after a man attacked a homeless woman by stabbing her several times through a tent sidewall near Second and L streets.

The woman was in critical but stable condition at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after undergoing surgery for multiple stab wounds following the attack, which occurred at about 11:46 p.m.

“We were able to get a statement from her, she was able to provide a description of the assailant and she was able to tell us what happened,” Pytel said.

That attack was the latest in a series that began Thursday with the stabbing death in Central Park downtown of David Henry Breaux, 50, who was known as the city’s “Compassion Guy” and was found slumped over on a bench in the park.

The second attack came 9 p.m. Saturday in Sycamore Park near Sycamore Lane and Colby Drive, where 20-year-old UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm was found dead.

Stabbings have similarities

No suspects have been identified and police say they still are not ready to link all three attacks.

But they said they had noted the fact that the stabbings had occurred every other night since Thursday and that they were working with an army of state, local and federal law enforcement officials to keep residents safe.

“We are using every available resource to solve these crimes, to bring an end to this violence and keep our community safe ...” Davis Mayor Will Arnold said. “Our entire community will never be the same.

“Our sense of normalcy and security has been fractured.”

Before dawn Tuesday, downtown Davis was inundated with police SUVs and officers on foot searching yards, alleys and parking lots for hours as they sought the suspect in the latest attack and residents were ordered to shelter in place.

Pytel said that attack came after a man was seen by homeless camp residents nearby appearing to duck under trees. After some camp residents called out to him, saying he resembled the description of the suspect from Saturday’s slaying, the man fled on foot, Pytel said.

But he returned later and exchanged words with three of the camp residents before stabbing the woman through her tent and fleeing west on Third Street toward downtown.

Pytel said four witnesses and the victim saw the man, who was described as a “light-complected male,” between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-9, with a “thin build wearing a black or blue sweatshirt, black Adidas pants with white stripes, black shoes carrying a brown backpack.”

Residents on alert

Several blocks north of the latest stabbing, three men stood outside a 7-Eleven near Fifth and L streets armed with a hatchet and their dog, Snooter. One of the men, who would only identify himself as Aaron, said he and his friends had been out Monday night into Tuesday looking for the killer when the attack occurred at the encampment.

“We spoke to a firsthand eyewitness,” Aaron said. “There was some sort of altercation that happened and the assailant came back and stabbed someone. The person had left, and changed their clothing, and came back and stabbed the person.”

The three men said the residents of the encampment had “seen him, and talked to him” before the stabbing began.

The men said they were out in hopes of protecting the community.

“We’re local,” Aaron said. “It’s our community.”

One of his friends, wearing a security ball cap and T-shirt and carrying the ax on his belt added, “We don’t want that in our town.”

The suspect in Monday night’s stabbing was described as having long, curly hair and closely matched the description of a suspect in Saturday’s night slaying. An area resident saw a man fleeing the area where that stabbing occurred and provided that description.

There were no witnesses to the first stabbing, and Pytel said police are not yet ready to link all the attacks, adding that they are awaiting evidence submitted to crime labs — including possible DNA evidence — and a composite sketch to be completed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office.

“We aren’t able yet to positively link the three crimes,” the chief said. “We’re still waiting for evidence to come back that may help us link them.”

He added, “As everybody suspects, we are looking for DNA that will help us find the offender.”

Attacks ‘violent and brutal’

Each of the attacks involved multiple stab wounds, officials said.

“The similarities of the two homicides are that both involved male victims, they occurred at Davis parks, and the attacks with knives were particularly violent and brutal,” Pytel said. “There were many and very significant knife wounds.”

By contrast, Monday night’s attack involved fewer wounds, he said, but the fact that the attacker returned to the scene after first being spotted by camp residents was a concern.

“There was an interaction between the offender last night and several witnesses who were able to provide us descriptions,” Pytel said. “That is particularly concerning in that the suspect didn’t care that there were several witnesses who could identify him.”

None of the victims have been robbed, Pytel said, adding that FBI profilers and homicide detectives from the Sacramento sheriff and police department were being brought in to help.

Yolo County sheriff’s deputies, Woodland and West Sacramento police departments, along with officers from Sacramento and Elk Grove police, joined the manhunt overnight after the third stabbing.

“We split up the perimeter and did a very extensive search, including house-to-house searches for the entire neighborhood near where the attack occurred,” Pytel said. “And we were unable to locate the suspect.”

The police chief said “the attacks with knives were particularly brutal and violent” in the two fatal stabbings.

“These were not stabbings where a person would normally be a victim of a robbery or something like that where there was just a couple of wounds,” Pytel said. “These were many and significant knife wounds.”

College town on edge

The attacks have left many residents and UC Davis students fearful for their safety, and officials said people need to be aware of their surroundings and stay in groups at night.

“The last few days have been shocking and incredibly challenging for our community,” the mayor said. “People are scared.”

Arnold said that fear is a natural and reasonable reaction to “the incomprehensible.”

“But the people of Davis are also strong and resilient,” Arnold told reporters. “We’re a community that watches out for one another, that helps those in need.”

He said residents must not forget the three victims of “brutal violence;” two who were killed and one who is “battling for their life.”

“Their families and loved ones will never be the same. Our entire community will never be the same.”

But Pytel rejected suggestions that the city impose a curfew until a suspect is captured.

“Curfews are an extraordinary measure ...” Pytel said. “Essentially, it would shut down the city, all the businesses would close, campus would close and people would be confined indoors. And then we have to police that.”

Instead, Pytel said the city plans to use saturation patrols with help from regional police agencies until a suspect is caught.

“We are stepping up patrols all over town,” he said. “Our intent is to have a very visible presence, both so people see the police department out to potentially prevent crime but also for our residents to offer tips.”

Since the attacks began, Pytel said, officers have received hundreds of tips.

The mayor said the college town’s “sense of identity is being challenged” by these violent attacks.

“We will walk together, we will bike together, we will look out for one another,” Arnold said. “We will get through this together, and we will emerge stronger.”