By CHRIS PONCE — campus@theaggie.org 

On the morning of Monday, May 6, Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine (PULP) organizers set up tents and canopies in the center of the Memorial Union Quad to protest for Palestine. 

The group, which now joins several other college campuses, has a list of five demands that they are asking the university to address. The demands include: The University of California system divesting from Israel; a total academic “cultural boycott”; investing in Palestine and Arab American studies; respect for free speech and “no repression” and Chancellor Gary May either resigning from his position on the executive board of Leidos or as chancellor of the university. 

“We want to focus on what’s happening in Palestine, in Gaza and the West Bank, so we’re in solidarity there [with the other campuses],” a media coordinator with PULP, who at this time asked to remain anonymous, said. “It is a UC-wide demand, because we want the biggest reach possible. We want to end this genocide.”

May is on the board of Leidos, a company that works with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and which PULP has expressed criticism for. The coordinator discussed the group’s demand for May to resign from the company.

“That is not our top demand right now,” they said. “It is definitely something that is important to us, because [he’s] the chancellor, and we don’t want him to be on the board of a company that’s involved in the genocide happening, but our top demand is divestment.”

On Feb. 16, the ASUCD Senate passed a measure to boycott and divest from corporations “complicit in human rights violations against Palestinians amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” While the Senate divested, the coordinator shared that the group’s goal is for the whole University of California system to divest. 

“We were really happy about that — it took a lot of organizing work and so we were really excited that was able to happen,” they said about the ASUCD divestment. 

The coordinator said that the group wants more students to turn out for the encampment, and they hope to stay put until their demands are met. They also shared their frustration with the United States’ involvement in the violence in Gaza.

“It’s been really upsetting to see our college campuses and the United States government accept what’s happening,” the coordinator said. “The U.S. is sending military aid to a country that is occupying an Indigenous population, and it’s hard to watch and not try to do something to change that.”

With the death toll of Palestinian lives surpassing 30,000, the coordinator shared that they hope students pay attention to the situation in Rafah.

“Look at what’s happening in Rafah, people are being displaced there,” they said. “Please don’t forget that’s why we are all doing this. This isn’t just about students on college campuses. It’s about what’s happening in Palestine and what’s been happening in Palestine. This is the moment where students can really make some change.”

Written by: Chris Ponce — campus@theaggie.org 

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By HANNAH SCHRADER and CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org

Prosecutors at the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday morning that they would not pursue the death penalty charge against Carlos Dominguez. The update was announced shortly before a preliminary hearing for Dominguez was held later that day.

“The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has provided notice of its intention to NOT seek the death penalty in the Carlos Dominguez case,” the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release email. 

Dominguez is a 21-year-old former UC Davis student who is the suspect in a series of stabbings last spring that left two dead and one severely injured. According to three mental health professionals, Dominguez was diagnosed as schizophrenic and deemed unfit to stand trial shortly after being arrested. But as of January, based on an evaluation, he was deemed fit to stand trial. 

On Feb. 26, at 1:30 p.m., a preliminary hearing was held at the Woodland Superior Court where Dominguez is the suspect of murder and attempted murder. The hearing should last approximately four days, according to the district attorney’s announcement. 

The hearing was held on the same day as a birthday celebration for David Henry Breaux, also known as “The Compassion Guy.” David Breaux was the first victim killed during the serial stabbings. David Breaux’s sister, Maria Breaux, said she considers it a good decision to not seek the death penalty.

“I think that’s good news,” Maria Breaux said. “I’m in line with what David said [to me], ‘If I’m ever harmed and unable to speak for myself, forgive the perpetrator, and help others forgive that person.’ He didn’t say, ‘force people to forgive,’ he didn’t say, ‘manipulate people into forgiveness.’ He said, ‘help people,’ and so everyone’s gonna have their own reactions to it, and all of them are valid. And for me, compassion is at the root of everything, and so I consider that move [to be] good news that another life has not been taken. There’s been too many lives taken.”

This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: Feb. 27, (12:39 a.m.)

Written by: Hannah Schrader and Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org

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BY LILY FREEMAN — campus@theaggie.org

On Dec. 6, the ASUCD Senate held a closed session where the table unanimously voted to pass two resolutions for the impeachment of both ASUCD President Francisco Ojeda and Internal Vice President (IVP) Aarushi Raguhunathan. 

According to the ASUCD Senate Instagram, newly elected senators, Jonathan Ng, Katia Bouali, Yara Kaadan and Leah Jung had no participation in the impeachment process and were not active members of the table at the time of the closed session.

Impeachment Resolution #1, which impeached Ojeda, outlined several causes for the impeachment. 

“President Ojeda has not produced any legislation to establish executive task forces,” the resolution read. “President Ojeda has rejected requests to verbally communicate to the ASUCD Senate as a whole on the work he has taken upon and instead deferred members of the Senate to ‘speak with him privately.’”

According to the resolution, Ojeda does not communicate how he utilizes the 19.5 hours allocated per week for the job of the presidency. 

“Several members of the Senate table have expressed discomfort with meeting privately with President Ojeda and asked information on the President’s work be publicly disclosed,” the resolution continued. 

Ojeda has also failed to introduce a satisfactory Priorities Resolution, according to the impeachment document. This is supposed to be introduced during week one of the fall quarter to voice the goals, priorities and strategies of ASUCD for the upcoming academic year.

This has been an ongoing conflict within the Senate. During the Oct. 26 meeting, the table expressed their frustration about the resolution being incomplete and verbalized that they would file a complaint to the Judicial Council if no further progress was made. 

“President Ojeda introduced a second Priorities Resolution, named SR #4, in Week 5 of Fall Quarter 2023,” the resolution continued. “President Ojeda was absent from the November 9th Senate Meeting of Week 6 in which SR#4 was scheduled to be considered by the Senate and did not assign any designee.” 

The resolution said that SR #4 failed as a result of Ojeda’s absence and the overall dissatisfaction with the lack of comprehensiveness and incorporation of feedback in the document.

After two failed Priorities Resolutions, according to the resolution, the Senate requested that Ojeda give a State of the Association to clarify the progress of his goals and projects and to discuss the current state of ASUCD as a whole. 

“During the November 21st Senate meeting of Week 8, President Ojeda delivered a State of the Association that the Senate publicly regarded as unsatisfactory, on the grounds that not only did it not address the state of ASUCD outside of the Office of the President but also the information conveyed about the Office of the President was still lacking detail on overall accomplishments, goals, and current work progress,” the resolution read.

The resolution concluded by saying that the Senate filed articles of impeachment against Ojeda due to an overall failure to perform the duties of his office outlined in the ASUCD constitution and bylaws. 

“President Ojeda, who represents 37,000 undergraduate students, is the primary leader of over 2,000 ASUCD student workers, and is the Chief Executive Officer of ASUCD’s $19.5 million operations, has not demonstrated the bare minimum requisites of being president,” the resolution said. “The ASUCD Senate expressed no confidence in President Ojeda’s capacity to be ASUCD President.” 

Impeachment Resolution #2 impeached Raghunanthan. The document addressed some of the following issues regarding responsibilities that have not been fulfilled by the IVP including updating the ASUCD roster, sending out quarterly report sign-ups in time, making all Senate packets public on time, supporting ASUCD commissions and committees and effectively leading the Personnel and Awards committee, which she is the chairperson of. 

The resolution then wrote that the incompleteness of these responsibilities has resulted in an increased burden on other members of the Senate table. The document then outlined Raghunathan’s unprofessionalism, as perceived by the Senate. 

“The leadership of IVP Raghunathan has received in perceived bias and disorder at more than one senate meeting, specifically through interactions with members of the public, that have gone unresolved,” the resolution read. 

Raghunathan also did not hire the Senate Recorder or Associate Vice President in a timely manner, according to the document, and other executive office staff, such as a chief of staff, have still not been hired. 

“The Senate is dissatisfied with the work of IVP Raghunathan thus far, believing it is not in accordance with what is required in the Constitution,” the resolution concluded. “The ASUCD Senate has no confidence in the ability of IVP Raghunathan to effectively fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the Internal Vice President… Raghunanthan is incapable of her office.” 

Senator Dani Antonio, the author of the President’s impeachment resolution and a co-author of IVP’s, discussed the next steps in the impeachment process. 

“With the impeachment resolutions of both the President and Internal Vice President unanimously passed by the fall 2023 Senate table, removal will be dependent on the decisions made by the Judicial Council,” Antonio said. “Due to the fact that these resolutions were passed during week 10, hearings for this will most likely start in week one of winter quarter 2024. Here, the Judicial Council will be able to hear out both the defendants and prosecutors of the case.” 

Written by: Lily Freeman — campus@theaggie.org

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BY CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org 

Content warning: This article contains discussions of antisemitism.

On Monday, Oct. 30, Davis authorities were notified of reported “antisemitic graffiti” that was left near a wall that separates greenbelts and Highway 113, near Rio Grande and Joshua Tree Streets. 

“Davis Police officers and Code Enforcement officers responded immediately and the graffiti was removed,” a public release made on Facebook by the Davis Police Department stated. “The Davis Police Department takes these crimes seriously and is investigating this case as a hate incident.” 

Authorities have not publicly shared what the vandalism contained. But, according to The Sacramento Bee, the graffiti was of an Israeli flag with a swastika in the center replacing the Star of David.

The Davis Police Department believes that the graffiti was spray painted sometime Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Authorities are asking residents in the area to send any relative information or security footage from the time of the incident. Information about the incident can be emailed to PoliceWeb@cityofdavis.org or at 530-747-5400. Police said that callers can remain anonymous. 

“If you live in this area and have any security camera video that may have captured the suspect around this time, or if you have information about this crime, please contact the Davis Police Department,” Davis Police said in their public release. 

This incident comes less than two weeks after a vigil held at Central Park for the victims of the Hamas attacks in Israel. The event, which was organized by Israeli and Jewish community members, had police present to protect the event. Some elders even denied to attend the event because of safety concerns, stating they “can’t run very fast.”

UC Davis and the city of Davis have a history of antisemitic hate incidents over recent years. Last year, on Aug. 28, antisemitic banners were hung over the Highway 113 overpass by four white men. 

In 2015, the AMCHA Initiative, a group that investigates and combats antisemitism in universities, ranked UC Davis among the top 10 colleges in the country with the most antisemitic activity. 

Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) responded to this week’s vandalism incident on Facebook.

“DJUSD stands in unity with our entire community in denouncing hate in any form — it has no place here in Davis or anywhere,” the DJUSD said on Monday via Facebook. 

Written by: Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org 

The post Antisemitic graffiti spray painted near Highway 113 appeared first on The Aggie.

By CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org

On Wednesday morning, at approximately 2:20 a.m., the Davis Police Department was notified of a threat claiming that bombs had been placed at the homes of Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) employees, DJUSD District Offices, three DJUSD school campuses and the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library. According to Davis Police, the threats were made via email and were sent to several different people. The three school campuses targeted were Davis Senior High, Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High and Cesar Chavez Elementary.

“We have received bomb threats sent via email threatening Davis Senior High, Holmes Junior High, Chavez Elementary, and the District Office,” reads a Facebook post by DJUSD. “The Davis Police Department is coordinating with District staff to search all of these sites and have already cleared the District Office. Please do not come to these sites until further notice.”

Davis Police conducted searches at the district offices, school sites, the library and two DJUSD employee residences, according to a Facebook update shared by the Davis Police Department. All threats have since been cleared by Davis Police.

“The residences and campuses have been deemed clear and schools are open for classes,” the Facebook post by Davis Police states. “The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office also searched the Davis Library and deemed it clear. Davis Police Officers will be conducting extra patrols around DJUSD campuses.”

This is the fourth bomb threat made to the Mary. L Stephens Davis Branch Library since late August, but the first time a threat has included employee homes and school sites. The first three threats all referenced a controversial speaker event held by Yolo County Moms for Liberty at the library and contained “hateful messaging” according to authorities. While officials have yet to officially link the motives of this threat to the previous ones, according to a Public Release shared on Facebook, Davis Police have stated that the language and content of this threat shares “some similarities” to the previous ones. 

“The Davis Police Department and the Davis Joint Unified School District take these criminal threats seriously and are closely working together to ensure the safety of students, educators, and the community,” Davis Police shared in their Public Release. “Davis PD will pursue every investigative lead to identify those responsible for these criminal threats. We know these incidents cause a substantial amount of concern and even trauma. These investigations can be very complex, and we will provide timely updates as more information is known to us.”

This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: Sept. 20, (2:27 p.m.)

Written By: Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org

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By CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org

On Monday morning, at 10:06 a.m., Davis Police were alerted of another bomb threat made to the Mary L. Stephens Library. This comes one week after the first bomb threat which was made one day after a heated Yolo County Moms for Liberty event that was held at the library. The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a recent Facebook post that there have been three total bomb threats made to the library and each threat was related to the controversial event.

“The Yolo County Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library has been targeted by three bomb threats in recent days,” the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department said in the post. “The initial threat came right after a heated meeting held at the library. These messages share a common thread of hateful content and revolve around the mentioned meeting.”

In a recent recorded Facebook update from the Davis Police Department, Lieutenant Dan Beckwith with Davis Police Department said each threat contained similar hateful messaging.

“The Yolo County Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library has received three bomb threats over the past week,” Beckwith said in the update. “The first took place the day following a contentious meeting at the library. The messages have all been similiar, containing hateful messaging and are regarding the meeting that took place at the library.”

It is unclear if the suspect or suspects are affiliated with Yolo County Moms for Liberty or any other local political organization but according to authorities, each threat made some reference to the event linked to the group. Beth Bourne, chair of Yolo County Moms for Liberty, has denounced the bomb threats and believes that the suspect or suspects are not involved with her organization. 

“The threats of violence made toward the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library and its staff are appalling,” Bourne shared in a press statement via email. “We are deeply disheartened to learn of these threats and how it disrupts and jeopardizes the safety of the community. The response to speech that you disagree with is always more speech. Violence is never the appropriate response. Any news reporting that would imply our organizations are in any way associated with or responsible for these threats is wrong and maliciously inaccurate.”

Anoosh Jorjorian, director of Yolo Rainbow Families, believes that right-wing media runs on outrage and that Yolo County Moms for Liberty has been providing aid for that outrage by sharing videos from local events to right-wing media outlets. Jorjorian believes that there is a pattern between right-wing organizations and political violence and threats, but that the answer for who is responsible for these threats is more complicated.

“‘Are they [Yolo County Moms for Liberty] responsible for what happens when people are in fact outraged?’ According to our courts, they’re not,” Jorjorian said. “And yet we have seen in other cases how people have been targeted, people have been threatened, sometimes people have died. We have seen patterns like this. It is impossible to ignore that the vast majority of identity motivated violence comes from one side of the political spectrum.”

According to Beckwith, police are in communication with local schools as many are in close proximity to the library. On Monday, the Davis Joint Unified School District announced that two schools had to shelter in place due to the incident. 

Jorjorian shared how personal these threats have been because they have two children in the Davis school system, one of whom had to shelter in place.

“I had to send my child a text today saying that I had heard about the shelter-in-place, and to reassure him that I’m sure he’s going to be fine,” Jorjorian shared. “And I resent, as a parent, having to send that text. And I know there are many parents who have had that experience because of mass shootings for example. And in a lot of cases, those parents don’t know their kids are going to be okay. And so even though I felt that risk to my child was, in reality, relatively low, it does something to you emotionally.”

The library has currently been deemed safe by Davis Police. While Yolo County Sheriffs continue to investigate, they announced on Facebook that they will collaborate with the FBI to pinpoint the suspect or suspects. 

“It’s clear that these threats are meant to disrupt and intimidate our community, particularly affecting the library’s functioning,” the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department said on Facebook. “Despite these acts of intimidation, we stand firm in our support for the library, its dedicated staff, and the individuals who utilize its services, along with those attending the nearby schools.”

This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: Aug. 30, (4:23 p.m.)

Written By: Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org

The post Local authorities, FBI investigate second and third bomb threat made to Mary L. Stephens Yolo County Library in Davis appeared first on The Aggie.

By CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org

On Aug. 21, around 3 p.m., Davis authorities warned people to avoid the area of the Yolo County Library on E 14th between F Street and Oak Avenue. Lieutenant Dan Beckwith with Davis Police Department announced on the Davis PD Facebook account that police were investigating a bomb threat. 

“At approximately 2 p.m. today, the Davis Police Department received information regarding a bomb threat at the Yolo County Library on 14th Street in the city of Davis,” Beckwith shared. “There was limited information other than a bomb was placed in the library. Officers responded and immediately evacuated the library and the surrounding area.”

Beckwith stated that Yolo County authorities have taken over the situation. At around 5:30 p.m., Davis Police announced in a statement that the situation had been cleared.

“The library and surrounding area have been checked by the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and deemed clear,” Davis Police said in a statement. “The area is now open to traffic. All Davis Joint Unified Schools will be open tomorrow for the first day of school.”

Hours after the announcement made by Davis PD, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office shared an update on Facebook regarding the investigation. The Facebook post shared that a local news station notified authorities of the threat and that the initial threat contained hate speech. 

“Today at approximately 2:12 PM, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office was notified by a local news station regarding an email from an unknown source that made a threat to the Mary L. Stephens Yolo County Library in Davis,” the post reads. “The email made a threat to detonate a bomb and include some form of hate speech.”

It is unclear if the threats are related to a controversial forum event held by Yolo County Moms for Liberty called “Forum on FAIR AND SAFE Sport for GIRLS” at the Mary L. Stephens Davis branch library the day prior. According to a video posted by the CA Family Council on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Sophia Lorey, former athlete and speaker with Yolo County Moms for Liberty, was asked to leave the event by librarian Scott Love due to Lorey misgendering people’s pronouns which Love claimed went against the library’s policy.

Yesterday night, The Davis Phoenix Coalition, a local organization that has previously spoken out in opposition to Yolo County Moms for Liberty, made a statement about the bomb threat on Facebook.

“Davis is a small town, and so we are very familiar with our local librarians and teachers, and we know they work hard to serve our families and make everyone feel welcome,” the post reads. “While a single person can try to sow fear with a bomb threat, the community ties that bind us together will hold stronger.”

According to authorities, there is still minimal information and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office will continue their investigation.

This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: Aug. 23, (1:31 a.m.)

Written By: Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org

The post Davis Police investigate bomb threat to the Yolo County Library made day after controversial event appeared first on The Aggie.

By CHRIS PONCE, KATIE DEBENEDETTI AND SONORA SLATER — city@theaggie.org

At 2:00 p.m., the Davis Police Department held a press conference to share updates about the investigation into two homicides and one stabbing incident that left a victim in critical condition and discuss the recent person of interest, who they announced as a suspect at the press conference, who had been detained. 

The suspect, 21-year-old Carlos Dominguez, has been arrested on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. He was a student at UC Davis until last week when he was “separated for academic reasons,” according to a release from the university. The suspect is now at the Yolo County jail and final charges will be determined in the coming days. 

Dominguez was detained Wednesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. after being stopped by patrol officers responding to around 15 call-in tips from community members who spotted him on the corner of Colby Drive and Pine Lane, a block from Sycamore Park. Dominguez was in possession of a large hunting-style knife in a backpack at the time and had injuries on his hands and wrists, according to Police Chief Darren Pytel.

“We arrested him first for possessing a large knife that was on him when we picked him up that was consistent with what we were looking for based on evidence from the first homicide,” Pytel said. “Just about an hour ago, we placed him under arrest on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. “

Dominguez did not appear to be under the influence of any substances and does not have clear mental health issues, although that, along with his motive, is still under investigation. 

Davis Mayor Will Arnold said that at this time, the Davis Police Department is confident that they have arrested the person responsible for all three crimes. 

“A murderer is off the streets and our families will sleep easier tonight,” Arnold said at Wednesday’s press conference. 

Pytel said that the crimes were “particularly brazen and brutal,” and that it was “strange” that Dominguez returned to the scene of the second attack on Wednesday. He added that at this time, it is unknown if Dominguez knew any of the victims or if the attacks were targeted, though they do not appear to have been. 

Dominguez was arrested first for possessing the large knife that was on his person when he was picked up, which was consistent with what we were looking for based on evidence from the first homicide. About 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, he was placed under arrest on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. 

On Thursday morning, police got a warrant for his current residence on Hawthorn Street, and were searching the home. Pytel confirmed that he lived with roommates, who have been questioned. He also confirmed that Dominguez had been back to the residence since last Thursday, when the first attack occurred. 

Dominguez will be arraigned at the Yolo County Court as early as Monday. Chancellor Gary May said that normal campus operations should also resume soon, likely on Monday.

Both Pytel and Arnold expressed their condolences to the families and friends of the victims, David Henry Breaux, Karim Abou Najm, and the woman, Kim, who was injured in the third attack.

“Let us not forget that their lives have been irreparably impacted,” Arnold said. “We will never forget David and Karim, and we will continue to hope and pray that Kim makes a speedy and full recovery.”

Written by: Chris Ponce, Katie DeBenedetti and Sonora Slater — city@theaggie.org

The post Former UC Davis student, 21, arrested as suspect in Davis stabbings case appeared first on The Aggie.

By KATIE DEBENEDETTI — city@theaggie.org

A person of interest has been detained following the string of stabbings in Davis this past week. Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, a witness saw a man who matched the suspect profile released by the Davis Police Department following the third attack on Monday night. Police reported that “a male with a light complexion, with curly hair, 5’6”-5’9” tall, and thin build, […] last seen wearing: a dark hoodie, black “Adidas” style pants with a white stripe, black shoes and a brown backpack,” was seen fleeing the scene on Monday night.

The witness said that she saw the person of interest in the Safeway parking lot on Covell Avenue yesterday afternoon. The woman said she began to follow the person in her car, stating she thought he matched the suspect description and was acting suspiciously. She followed him to Pine Lane, a block away from Sycamore Park, where the second fatal stabbing occurred on Saturday night.

Around 4:30 p.m., police officers stopped the person of interest, who was wearing black “Adidas-like” sweats with a white stripe and had shoulder-length curly hair, on the corner of Pine Lane and Colby Drive. Officers spoke to the man on the street for about 10 minutes before he was driven away from the scene in a patrol car.

Davis Police Lt. Dan Beckwith has confirmed that the person of interest was taken into custody as of Wednesday evening. He also said that though police are taking “standard investigative steps,” the man is not a suspect and has not been linked to any of the crimes at this time.

The Davis Police Department has collected biological evidence from all three of the crime scenes and are beginning to analyze early returns from the evidence, according to a statement from the department.

In a crime update, Davis police also shared that there has been inaccurate information and images of suspects shared on social media. Authorities have also worked with a witness from the second homicide to draft a sketch of the suspect. However, after the witness said the sketch didn’t accurately depict the suspect, the sketch was deemed “not viable for use.”

This isn’t the first time Davis authorities have detained a person of interest. Earlier this week police booked a different person who “closely matched the suspect description.” 

“Physical evidence was collected and a search warrant was issued for a location in Davis that the subject is associated with,” Davis police said. “The subject was later booked at the Yolo County Jail for an outstanding warrant issued out of Placer County for public intoxication and resisting arrest.” 

The Davis Police Department has announced that they will be holding a press conference this afternoon at 2 p.m. that will be broadcasted on their Facebook page. The Sacramento Bee has reported that they expect Davis PD will announce the arrest of the person of interest detained on Sycamore Lane Wednesday afternoon at the conference.

Around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, following the announcement of the afternoon’s press conference, police were seen at 762 Hawthorn Lane, a block from where the person of interest was detained yesterday evening and close by Sycamore Park. Though there has been no announcement as to whether this search is related to the case at this time and Davis police have said no further updates will be made until the 2:00 p.m. press conference out of respect for services being held for Karim Abou Najm today.

This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: May 4, 12:00 p.m.

Written by: Katie DeBenedetti — city@theaggie.org

The post Police detain ‘person of interest,’ expected to announce arrest Thursday afternoon appeared first on The Aggie.

By CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org

Earlier today, at 11:00 a.m., Davis police, alongside Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, city officials and representatives from the District Attorney’s Office held a press conference to discuss the ongoing investigations into three stabbings, including two fatal ones, that have occurred in the past five days in Davis.

Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said that police are currently receiving hundreds of tips regarding the crimes. Pytel noted that police have ongoing investigations into each stabbing incident and said that while the description of the suspect is “substantially” similar in the second and third crimes, police are still trying to determine if the crimes are related.

“We’re still trying to determine if the first homicide is related to the second homicide and whether these are related to the stabbing from last night,” Pytel said. “The similarities of the two homicides are that both involved male victims that occurred at Davis parks. The attacks with knives were particularly brutal and violent. These were not stabbings where a person would normally be a victim of like a robbery or something like that, where there’s just a couple of wounds. There were many, and very significant knife wounds. The attack last night had far fewer knife wounds, but still similar in the description provided.”

Police are asking that residents provide any video footage they may have of anyone that matches the description of the suspect. They also said that students and residents of Davis should remain vigilant.

Pytel also said that he’s been in communication with the Yolo County sheriff and police chiefs from neighboring jurisdictions, and all have been offering support since the first homicide. There will continue to be extra police patrols in the Davis area until further notice. There has also been increased federal support, as Pytel shared that while police have been in contact with the FBI for the last few days, they arrived in Davis today. Pytel shared that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has also been assisting with the case, and police have submitted “physical evidence” to the DOJ crime lab — Pytel is expecting to hear about the preliminary evidence today or tomorrow. 

The stabbing that occurred last night happened at a homeless encampment near 2nd and L Streets. Pytel said the victim currently remains in critical condition. 

Pytel also said that there was an interaction between the suspect last night and several witnesses at the encampment and that many were able to provide descriptions of the suspect. He said that the interaction “happened over a period of time before the stabbing occurred.”

He added that there was drone assistance, but due to weather conditions, it could not be utilized the whole time. Pytel mentioned the concern regarding the lack of air support at the crime last night.

“A helicopter was not airborne and even though we made several requests, there were no helicopters up last night to assist us,” Pytel said. 

In response to the ongoing incidents, the police department has moved all patrol forces into 12-hour shifts. Police are working to have a strong and visible presence to support residents for the time being, and UC Davis Police are doing the same to aid the investigation. 

Pytel also addressed questions about a curfew in Davis, saying that at this time, residents should use their best judgment when going outside.

“Well, we’ve had three stabbings, two homicides and they’ve occurred over the last couple of days,” Pytel said. “That’s, to my knowledge, never occurred in Davis. […] Be completely aware of your surroundings, to know who may be present or watching. […] People should have a buddy system right now, I think that’s an appropriate and reasonable response. […] People should prioritize their own personal safety.” 

Written By: Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org

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