Yesterday, I noted that under Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, the region’s “smash and grab” problem has morphed into “slash and dash,” as an unknown assailant fatally stabbed a University of California (UCLA) grad student while she was working as a consultant at a high-end furniture store in Los Angeles.
There was an update to the case: The homeless man caught in the video was identified by Los Angeles police. He is a career criminal out on $1000 bail.
Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was named by LAPD on Tuesday night as the suspect captured on video in chilling footage as he calmly purchased a vape pen from a 7-Eleven 30 minutes after the cold-blooded murder.’He should be considered armed and dangerous. If seen do not approach, call 911,’ police said in a statement.Los Angles County Sheriff’s Department records list Smith as currently free on a $1,000 bail from a misdemeanor arrest in October 2020….The suspected killer has a lengthy criminal record, with dozens of prior charges in North Carolina and South Carolina.Smith’s prior charges include assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, assault on a police officer, trespassing, possession of a stolen vehicle, and misdemeanors for larceny and possession of stolen goods.
More information is coming out about the events surrounding the slaying.
Police released video Tuesday from a 7-Eleven store, showing the alleged stabber casually shopping 30 minutes after he killed Kupfer. He was also shopping at other stores before and after the killing, police said.The suspect was seen leaving the store through a back door and fleeing into an alley, heading toward Oakwood and La Brea avenues.Police said there is no known motive to the stabbing.Officers said Kupfer instantly had a bad feeling when the suspect walked into the store.“She sent a text to a friend saying there was someone inside the location that gave her a bad vibe.
And then another development, an arrest:
California police arrested the man they say stabbed UCLA student Brianna Kupfer to death inside a high-end Los Angeles furniture store, authorities announced on Wednesday.Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was arrested after a tip led police to a bus stop in Pasadena on Wednesday morning, a day after authorities offered a record-breaking $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture, police said.“I can confirm officers from Pasadena PD did take Mr. Smith into custody earlier today,” Pasadena Police Lt. William Grisafe told The Post. “We had been notified by a community member, that they believed the wanted person was at the bus bench located at Colorado Blvd. and Fair Oaks Ave.”
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