Responding to the scene in the 1500 block of East La Palma Avenue about 2:40 p.m., police found Juan Martinez stabbed in an apartment complex parking lot near Sycamore Junior High School, where he was a student.
Martinez was walking home after classes when police said an older teenager reportedly came out of nowhere and attacked him. His friend Anthony Bustos was nearby and witnessed the whole incident.
"I saw him get stabbed. He ran across the street and I ran after him to help him, and then he passed out," said Bustos.
Martinez suffered multiple stab wounds. Before paramedics arrived, Bustos tried to stop the bleeding.
"I got my sweater, and I put it on his chest so he wouldn't bleed to death. And I was just telling him that it's OK," said Bustos.
Martinez was treated at the scene before being rushed to University of California, Irvine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police arrested 18-year-old Bryan Ocampo of Anaheim about 7 p.m. He was originally a person of interest but they since charged him in connection with the stabbing. He was booked on suspicion of homicide and held without bail.
The victim's family members embraced outside the police station as they tried to console one another. Martinez was one of six children.
"He's gone. He's not coming back, and he had so much ahead of him," said Elizabeth Martinez, the victim's eldest sister. "I hope that justice is served."
It's unknown if the victim and suspect knew each other. Authorities have not determined a motive for the stabbing.
Police closed all lanes of La Palma Avenue between Acacia and Baxter streets while they investigated.
"East La Palma is a very busy major thoroughfare in our city, so somebody had to have seen what happened, which is why we're really appealing to the public to come forward," said Anaheim Police Sgt. Eric Trapp.
Anyone with information related to the case should contact /*Anaheim*/ police at (714) 765-1944.
