The stabbing happened on the 5100 block of San Feliciano drive in Woodland Hills on Tuesday. Detectives spoke to people in the area who discovered the victim's body slumped on the sidewalk.
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"They met with two walkers and joggers who had been walking in the area and came across a gentleman on the west sidewalk, attempted to rouse him and render some aid. He was unresponsive," Los Angeles Police Detective Richard Moakley. "The City Fire Department responded and rendered aid and during the process of their aid, they found multiple stab wounds to his back, and they declared him deceased on the sidewalk here."
Residents in this otherwise quiet community feel shaken up by this tragic news.
"Absolutely awful, awful," said local resident Karen, who did not provide a last name. "It's very scary, it makes me not want to go for a walk, which I usually do in the evenings. Between the coyotes and this, I will stay home."
The detectives have not yet released the victim's identity.
"Can't release his name at this time, they're still attempting notify family," Moakley said. "He may be locally known to the area, but we're still trying to identify all of that."
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Karen said the victim appears to be a mentally ill man who's not from the area, but was frequently spotted in the neighborhood walking, screaming and cursing.
"When I came here early this morning about 8 a.m., the backpack and hat were lying in the middle of the road, and I recognized that as his, and the officer asked me if I could identify him and I said, 'No, I go the other way when I see him walking along San Feliciano.'"
Woodland Hills residents said they rarely see anything remotely like this act of violence.
"No, nothing like this. You know, you see occasionally like a homeless person kind of wandering up and down the street ranting and stuff, which is sad, but I haven't seen any violence in this neighborhood," resident Tommy Thompson said.