PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — An illegal immigrant has been identified by Santa Monica police as the person responsible for stabbing a teen as he and his girlfriend left a restaurant in Downtown.
Francisco Leon-Urbalexo, 39, of Sonora, Mexico is currently in the custody of the United States Marshall's Office serving a 10-month sentence after he illegally entered the United States. Law enforcement apprehended Leon-Urbalexo in Yuma, Ariz. shortly after the attack in Santa Monica, police said.
Investigators used DNA evidence to link him to the stabbing, which took place Aug. 13, 2012. Police said the victim, a 19-year-old man, had just left a local restaurant located in the 300 block of Santa Monica Boulevard with his girlfriend at around 6:20 p.m. when he was randomly attacked and stabbed multiple times.
The victim was hospitalized with moderate injuries and the suspect fled the crime scene.
Investigators from Santa Monica presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, which filed charges of attempted murder, hate crime and assault with a deadly weapon.
Leon-Urbalexo will be extradited to Santa Monica to be arraigned on the above charges after he completes his sentence with the U.S. Marshall, police said.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Chad Goodwin at (310) 458-8942 or Sgt. Ira Rutan at (310) 458-8959 or the Santa Monica Police Department (24 hours) at (310) 458-8495.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call WE Tip at (800) 78-CRIME (1-800-78-27643), or submit the tip online at www.wetip.com. Tipsters will remain completely anonymous and may be eligible for a reward, up to $1,000, if information leads to an arrest and conviction, or anonymous tipsters can contact Crime Stoppers by either calling (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting their website at www.lacrimestoppers.org. To text an anonymous tip to crime stoppers, view their webpage for detailed instructions. If the information leads to an arrest, the tipster is eligible to receive a reward up to $1,000.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
