Glendale man charged in fatal stabbing aboard Metro bus

Nov. 13, 2015 11:37 AM PT

A Glendale man was charged Thursday with fatally stabbing a Metro bus passenger earlier this week after an argument, officials said.

Allan Jay Milton, 43, was charged with one count of murder, with a special allegation that he personally used a knife, in connection with the stabbing death of Phillip Melendez, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

At around 10:40 p.m. on Monday, the two were on a bus in South Los Angeles when Milton reportedly got into an argument with Melendez and fatally stabbed him.

When the bus stopped, Milton reportedly fled. He was arrested the following afternoon in the area where the stabbing occurred, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Milton, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, faces 26 years to life in state prison if convicted. He is slated to be arraigned later this month.

Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek

Alene Tchekmedyian

Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, focusing on accountability stories and writing about failures by officials to comply with transparency laws. Before joining The Times in 2016, she reported on crime and policing for the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader.