Shawn Laval Smith, the suspect in the fatal stabbing of Brianna Kupfer at a Los Angeles high-end furniture store, was taken into custody by law enforcement on Wednesday.
Pasadena police arrested Smith, 31, at a bus stop about 17 miles away from where the killing took place on Jan. 13. The Los Angeles Police Department previously identified Smith as a suspect on Tuesday, offering a $250,000 award for information that could lead to his capture.
SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN LOS ANGELES FURNITURE STORE STABBING
“We can confirm Shawn Laval Smith, the suspect responsible for the murder of Brianna Kupfer is in custody,” the LAPD said in a statement. “We would like to thank the public, the media, and our partners at Pasadena PD for their support in apprehending the suspect.”
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, where Smith was apprehended around noon local time. The LAPD said they believed he was homeless and had walked to several businesses before and after the alleged murder took place. Officials also released surveillance footage Tuesday that showed him at a nearby 7-Eleven.
BREAKING: @FoxNews can confirm that Shawn Laval Smith, the suspect accused of stabbing to death 24-year-old UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer, has been ARRESTED in Pasadena. pic.twitter.com/a1PcBg13PB
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) January 19, 2022
Kupfer was working for Croft House, a luxury furniture store in Hancock Park, when the alleged stabbing occurred. She was a 24-year-old graduate student in architectural design at the University of California, Los Angeles. Shortly before she was found dead, she texted a friend that someone in the store was giving her “bad vibes,” LAPD officials said. Authorities noted Kupfer was by herself when she was stabbed, while other businesses Smith walked into had bystanders — which police say may have contributed to the attack.
When he allegedly stabbed Kupfer, Smith had an active warrant for his arrest since last November for allegedly violating probation, Fox News reported. He had been on probation after pleading no contest to assaulting a police officer.
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Smith has a long criminal history. He faced charges for a variety of criminal behavior in California, North Carolina, and South Carolina, according to documents obtained by Fox News. Some of his alleged actions included possession of marijuana, littering, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. Smith was arrested at least 11 times in South Carolina. He has a pending charge against him in the state for firing a gun at an occupied vehicle in 2019, the outlet reported.
The city of Los Angeles saw an 11.8% uptick in homicides from 2020 to 2021, Mayor Eric Garcetti said, according to ABC7. A study by the LA Homeless Services Authority released in 2020 before the onset of the pandemic estimated that over 41,000 people in the city of about 4 million people are facing homelessness.
