NORTH HOLLYWOOD : 3 Praised for Aiding Arrest in Stabbing

Three North Hollywood residents who witnessed a fatal stabbing and followed the suspect until police arrived drew praise from authorities Wednesday.

John Sauberan, 37, described as a transient, was arrested in the slaying of an unidentified male transient shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday outside a post office at 11340 Chandler Blvd.

“Right in front of me, I saw somebody’s life taken,” said one of the residents, who asked not be identified. “I didn’t want to risk my life, but I couldn’t stand the fact that this guy was just going to walk away.”

The three, who were strangers to each other, trailed the suspect at a distance, taking turns calling police. The suspect stopped to drink a beer in the 11400 block of Magnolia Avenue, where he was arrested.

As one man began to follow the suspect, he was joined by Jacquelyn A. Ruffner, 23, and another man. The three followed the man for several blocks, taking turns calling police. Officers arrived and took Sauberan into custody.

Ruffner said she had a brief moment where she was unsure of whether or not to get involved, but she was glad she did. “It’s one of those things, if I got stabbed, I’d want someone to track them down,” she said.

Police said the victim was apparently stabbed during an argument over a change purse worth $5. Sauberan is being held in lieu of $1-million bail.

“The citizens are the ones to be commended in this one,” Los Angeles Police Detective Mike Coffey said. “They did it the way they should--not to approach a dangerous suspect and to follow them instead.”