Tragedy struck Cleveland High School in Reseda on Wednesday, as an altercation on the handball courts there has left one individual dead. Two suspects are now in custody.
The victim, identified as Kevin Orellano, 18, was a former student of the high school and had come to play handball with some of his friends there. Suddenly, he was was approached by two men and got into an argument with the suspects there. It was at that point that a fight ensued between the individuals.
"It started off as your typical fight, fist fight - a lot of punches being thrown - and later found the victim laying there with a lot of blood," said a witness.
Orellano was the recipient of a stab wound to the torso, which ended up being fatal. It is not immediately known if he had any connection to the suspects, a 16-year-old and 19-year-old. The altercation took place just after school hours at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, and it is believed that the attackers were documented gang members.
"It doesn't take much to set gang members off," LAPD Detective Joel Price said. "All one need to do is look at them and they feel as though they're being mad-dogged, I guess, if you will. And they want to know what you're looking at."
Once Orellano had been stabbed, both assailants fled the scene and got away in a maroon minivan. Members of the school's football team were practicing at the time and chased after the assailants, but to no avail. By using social media in their investigation, police were eventually able to identify Orellano's attackers, arresting them later that day at a residence where the alleged minivan was parked.
"My kids have always felt safe on campus," said Bonnie Goodman, whose children attend classes at Cleveland High. "This appears to be an isolated incident where the school became a setting for an unfortunate event that did not involve our students."
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