LOCAL : Witnesses See Gang Kill Man

A 19-year-old Pacoima man was fatally stabbed after he was chased down by suspected gang members in a shopping center parking lot, Los Angeles police said today.

Hector Martinez died at Holy Cross Medical Center shortly after he was stabbed about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot at Glenoaks and Van Nuys boulevards, Detective Al Ferrand said. No arrests were made.

Martinez and a 20-year-old friend were walking near the shopping center when three men confronted them and chased them the length of the parking lot, Ferrand said. The 20-year-old, whose name was not released, escaped unharmed, but Martinez was caught and stabbed repeatedly in the upper body.

Some of the stores in the center were still open, and eight witnesses saw parts of the attack, Ferrand said. They provided police with the license number of the pickup truck in which the suspects escaped. The truck, which had been stolen, was later found abandoned in Sylmar.

Because of statements made by the suspects and overheard by witnesses, police believe the attackers were gang members. They apparently confronted the other two men because they believed the two were members of a rival gang, Ferrand said. However, detectives were unsure this morning if Martinez was a gang member. His name was not on file with the Foothill area gang unit, Ferrand said.