A pool of blood marks the spot of a stabbing that left 19-year-old Angel Perez of San Benito, dead.
San Benito Police Invest. Rogelio Banda said it happened early Monday morning, near the intersection of Rockefeller Street and Winchell Street.
No one has been arrested for the homicide, Banda said, and police are still trying to determine what led up to the attack. It's the first homicide in San Benito since 2009.
"Having a homicide is very unusual for this community,” Banda said.
According to residents who witnessed what they described as a vicious attack, Perez was a cancer survivor who lived just one street from where he was killed.
They said they saw Perez running down Rockefeller Street, being chased by a dark colored SUV, driven by a female and about three men inside.
Police confirmed a woman and several men were questioned Monday, about the stabbing.
"We still haven't recovered the weapon or the weapons that were used,” Banda said. “We're hoping that during the interviews, we (will be) able to get the information that will lead us to the weapons that were used."
Neighbors in the area were distraught about Perez’s death, but not completely in shock since they said crime in their neighborhood has gradually increased in the past few years.
"It's not the first time I hear that there is a fight or a stabbing,” resident Rudy Cisneros said. “I think about two or three weeks ago something happened in the same neighborhood…it's getting worse.”
Police are looking for 22-year-old Esteban Rodriguez who they say is a person of interest in this case.
Police add they expect to make an arrest within 48 hours.
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