A 19-year-old business student at the University of Southern California who was arrested on suspicion of murder in the fatal stabbing of a burglary suspect on USC’s Greek Row in Los Angeles Monday night has been identified.
The incident was reported around 8:15 p.m. in the 700 block of West 28th Street in the University Park neighborhood.
Arriving officers found an unidentified man in his 30s suffering from stab wounds in an alleyway. He was later pronounced dead at the scene, officials with the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.
Authorities say the Boyle Heights native, who is now in custody, and two friends witnessed the 27-year-old homeless man burglarizing cars. The 19-year-old reportedly confronted the man with a knife before stabbing him to death.
Gallegos, who has no criminal record and stayed at the scene to cooperate with law enforcement, told police he was acting in self-defense and that the 27-year-old burglary suspect said he was armed with a gun.
The 19-year-old’s friends who were with him at the time have not been arrested.
A housekeeper at the students’ Delta Tau Delta Fraternity said everyone in the house is very concerned about what happened.
“They’re upset, sad and worried,” she told KTLA’s Omar Lewis. “It’s very tragic for both families.”
Some residents on Greek Row say they’re already on edge from previous incidents involving property crimes there and because the back alley where the stabbing occurred is near a homeless encampment.
“When a lot of this stuff occurs repetitively, you have a lot more students who want to be proactive,” Greek Row resident Liam Shi told KTLA. “I don’t even know what I would’ve done in that situation.
Another student, a property manager on Greek Row just two doors down from Delta Tau Delta, told KTLA that her building has been broken into and that this incident has left students confused and asking questions.
“Someone lost a life yesterday, so I feel horrible that happened,” the student, identified only as Allison, said. “At the same time, I’m a student myself. I’m a woman. I think of all of us being students, anybody really, you’re in a vulnerable position. What are you supposed to do, wait until the gun gets pulled out in front of you?”
As for Gallegos, who is being held on $2 million bail, he now faces an uncertain future.