Los Angeles, CA: High school student jailed in ex-girlfriend's on-campus stabbing death

Daily News Wire Services
Posted: 10/01/2011 10:03:12 AM PDT
Updated: 10/01/2011 10:03:40 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES - A high school senior was behind bars today on suspicion of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend on a Los Angeles Unified School District campus in South Gate.

Abraham Lopez, 18, allegedly stabbed Cindi Santana, 17, during a lunchtime fight at South East High School before being subdued.

An 11th-grade and varsity football player, Jorge Garcia, and a female dean were stabbed or cut while trying to stop the attack, according to school police.

Lopez, who was first taken to a hospital to be checked out, was to be booked on suspicion of murder, Los Angeles Unified School District Police Chief Steven K. Zipperman told KCAL9.

Witnesses described Lopez grabbing Santana and putting her in a headlock, as several people tried to intervene in a courtyard away from classrooms. It was unclear what kind of knife Lopez used or how he got it on campus.

It took about 15 stitches to close a cut on Garcia's arm, according to published reports.

Cindi died at St. Francis Medical Center during surgery about 7:45 p.m. She reportedly suffered wounds to her back and side.

The stabbing also triggered a bomb scare at the hospital last night.


" ... investigators came across some information that the suspect (Lopez) may have placed an explosive device in one of the family member's vehicles (which had since been driven to the hospital) or possibly around the residence of one of
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the victim's family members,'' Zipperman said. "So we contacted the sheriff's bomb squad and they responded to the areas and cleared both locations.''

The hospital parking structure at 3630 E. Imperial Highway was cleared about 10:30 p.m.

A school district spokeswoman said the student and the dean who were stabbed should be OK. A school police officer complained of a back injury.

Zipperman said crisis counselors would be made available to Santana's family and, on Monday, to students and staffers at the school at 2700 Tweedy Boulevard on Monday. Sheriff's detectives will be handling the investigation.

South East High School, about 7 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, is home to about 3,000 students.

The stabbing death was the first on a LAUSD campus in recent memory. On June 5, 2006, a Venice High School student was fatally shot in a faculty parking lot.