2 Held in Fatal Stabbing of Corona Teen

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state ... ay18.story


2 Held in Fatal Stabbing of Corona Teen

By Susannah Rosenblatt, Times Staff Writer


Police have arrested two alleged gang members on suspicion of murder and a hate crime in the fatal stabbing of a Corona teenager in May. A third suspect remains at large.

Dominic Redd, 15, was stabbed multiple times May 11 in the Cantadora Apartment Complex in Corona, about a mile from Centennial High School, where he was a freshman.

The two suspects in custody, 15 and 16 years old, are members of a Corona street gang, said Sgt. Jerry Rodriguez of the Corona Police Department, and also face gang allegations.

The three assailants apparently made "derogatory comments" to Dominic, who is African American, before the attack, Rodriguez said. They were taken into custody after fleeing from police near one suspect's home, authorities said.

"I'm pretty pleased with" Monday's arrests, said Dominic's father, Jerome Redd. "I'm confident they'll find … the third individual pretty soon."

The two teens, who are Latino, do not attend Centennial High. There is no known relationship between Redd and the suspects, Rodriguez said. Dominic, a star running back for the Centennial Huskies football team, was not affiliated with any gang, Rodriguez and Dominic's father said.

"We still need to address some issues with racial tension here in the community," Redd, 39, said.

Police are still investigating the attackers' motive.

The suspects were arrested after leaving the 16-year-old's home in the 1400 block of Rimpau Avenue, not far from the crime scene. Community sources, police investigations and tips from school hotlines led them to the suspect's home, Rodriguez said.

It is still undecided whether the suspects will be tried as adults, said Supervising Deputy Dist. Atty. Brian Sussman. Police are not releasing the suspects' names because they are minors.

Investigators are "still working the case" to find the final suspect, Rodriguez said.

Dominic's father remembers his son as someone who "didn't look at people in terms of race or gender or their ability…. Everyone was equal," Redd said. "That was something that I always tried to instill in him."

Dominic was "just an all-around good kid."

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Anyone with information is asked to call the Corona Police Department hotline at (951) 817-5837.