UPDATED -- Juan Martinez's brutal stabbing death may be rooted in a conflict between rival tagging crews.
According to the victim's 17 year-old brother, Martinez hung out with a crew called Sky's The Limit (STL). The suspect, Bryan Ocampo, was part of a rival group DTA, reports LA Times. (The LA Times reports that DTA stands for Downtown Anaheim, while the OC Weekly says it stands for Death Town Anaheim Krew).
Ocampo was exchanging Facebook posts with his friends up until his arrest. He posted, "Theres a big scene at the end of my street,cops everywhere -__- what the hell happened?" at around 4:30pm. Upon seeing the victim's name, Ocampo posted, "Nah i never heard that...i didnt even know who he was." Check out the OC Weekly for more of his Facebook feed, which continues up until his friends realize Ocampo has been detained as a person of interest.
Friends of the victim have set up a Facebook memorial page for him, which already counts over 1,600 "fans." Some of the posts allude to his talent as a tagger: "You would've been one of the sickest graffers in anaheim.! See you soon gee! Skys the limit.!" and "REST IN PEACE (lil R2) i dnt knw u but im in the graff game nd its not supposed to be played that way!!"
PREVIOUSLY -- Police have arrested a suspect in the stabbing death of Juan Martinez, a 12 year-old boy.
Authorities discovered Martinez across the street from his school Sycamore Junior High yesterday afternoon. He had been stabbed multiple times and later died at the UC Irvine Medical Center, reports KTLA.
Friend Anthony Bustos was walking home with Martinez when the attack happened. He told KCAL 9 that "I saw him get stabbed. He ran across the street and I ran after him to help him, and then he passed out." Bustos also recounted, "I got my sweater, and I put it on his chest so he wouldn't bleed to death. And I was just telling him that it's OK."
Police shut down several blocks on East La Palma Avenue to search for clues immediately after the stabbing. Just hours later, 18 year-old Bryan Ocampo was detained as a "person of interest" and later arrested and charged for the attack. Last night, he was held in Anaheim jail without bail, reports the OC Register. The weapon has not been recovered yet.
As of now it's unknown if Martinez and suspect Ocampo had any prior relationship. Ocampo is a resident of Anaheim and reportedly didn't have any gang affiliations.
If you have any information about the attack, please contact the Anaheim police at 714-765-1944.