USC student accused of murder after stabbing homeless man during vehicle break-in

Ivan Gallegos was arrested on suspicion of murder

A 19-year-old University of Southern California (USC) student, Ivan Gallegos, has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of a homeless man on the university's Greek Row.

The incident occurred after the victim allegedly broke into vehicles at the scene.

At 8:15 p.m. on Monday, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to a complaint of a dangerous weapon attack with a knife in the 700 block of West 28th Street. According to an LAPD statement, "The male victim was breaking into vehicles at the location when the suspect confronted and stabbed the victim."

Interim LAPD Chief Dominic Choi elaborated on the situation, explaining that Gallegos saw the homeless man breaking into his car in the rear parking lot of the fraternity house. During the confrontation, the man allegedly claimed to have a gun, and maybe for self-defence, Gallegos had to stab him.

Los Angeles Times reported that no firearm was recovered from the murder scene.

The homeless man, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Who is Ivan Gallegos?

Gallegos, a Los Angeles resident, remained on the scene and was brought into jail without incident. He has been recognised as the suspect in the stabbing and arrested on suspicion of murder. Authorities have placed him bail at $2 million.

Last month, USC's Annenberg Media published a profile of Gallegos, highlighting him as an emerging musical artist and a student at the Marshall School of Business.

A report for Gallegos stated, “Throughout his childhood, Ivan navigated the realities of both his parents’ involvement in gang activities, leading to their intermittent incarceration.”

“Despite growing up in an environment saturated with drugs, gangs and prostitution, he focused on music and sharpened his skills to become a multifaceted instrument and vocalist.”

A woman who manages the Delta Tau Delta fraternity told Eyewitness News that Gallegos is a USC student and fraternity member. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that Gallegos was the individual arrested in connection with the incident.