Suspect Arrested in CSUF Killing
Suspect Arrested in CSUF Killing
by Contributing Editor
A suspect was in custody Thursday in connection with the stabbing death of a retired Cal State Fullerton administrator in a campus parking lot.
Fullerton police confirmed the arrest, but withheld details pending an afternoon news conference.
Detectives believe Steven Shek Keung Chan, 57, of Hacienda Heights, was the victim of a targeted attack around 8:30 a.m. Monday, according to Fullerton police Lt. Jon Radus. The victim was found with multiple stab wounds inside his silver Infiniti sedan parked in a lot outside an administrative building in the 600 block of Langsdorf Drive.
A witness called 911 and described the suspect as a man in his mid-20s with black hair, wearing a black windbreaker and black pants, Radus said. The suspect was seen running north on Langsdorf and then east on Nutwood Avenue, Radus said.
On Tuesday morning, police issued a composite sketch and a description of the vehicle in which the suspect is believed to have made his getaway as they called on the public for help apprehending the killer, who they believe was injured in the attack and may have suffered lacerations to one or both of his hands.
A review of surveillance video from the area captured the suspect leaving a nearby parking lot east of the Orange (57) Freeway in a black, four-door sedan with black wheels and dark-tinted windows, believed to be a newer model BMW X6, shortly after the stabbing, Radus said.
Investigators found a backpack, believed to have been left by the suspect, underneath the victim’s car. An incendiary device and knife — not the one used in the killing — were found inside the satchel, along with tools that could be used in a kidnapping plot such as zip ties, wigs and other disguises, police said.
Radus said both the victim and suspect were of Asian descent, but it was still unclear what motivated the crime.
“We do not know the motive at this point,” Radus said Monday, adding that investigators believe the victim was “targeted” by his assailant.
The victim had not received any specific threats recently, the lieutenant said.
Radus initially described the victim as a retired faculty member who had returned to the campus, working in international student admissions. CSUF officials later called him “a retired administrator working as a consultant on campus.”
CSUF President Fram Virjee issued a statement about the stabbing Monday night.
“It is with such a heavy heart and a deep and profound sense of sadness that I inform you that our colleague and friend, Steven Chan, a beloved and long-serving member of the Titan Family, passed away this morning after a tragic and senseless attack in the parking lot behind College Park,” Virjee said.
Virjee said he did not personally know Chan or work directly with him, but had talked with those close to him and “it is clear that he was beloved for his commitment to and passion for both Cal State Fullerton and our Titan Family.”
Virjee requested thoughts and prayers for Chan and his family.
“Life is so precious and family and friendships so dear,” Virjee said. “In the coming days, weeks, and months, we will all honor and remember Steven in our own way.”
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!
All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
