Man Arrested in Murder of Neighbor NR14482pv

Los Angeles:  Detectives booked Javier Garcia, 22, in the murder of his next-door neighbor, Edgar Barrientos, 37, following an early-morning brawl on Sunday in a quiet Arleta neighborhood at Beachy Avenue and Tonopah Street.

“We found evidence and statements to corroborate Garcia as an aggressor in the initial beat down of his neighbor on Sunday, which ultimately led to the man being stabbed to death,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Mission Detective Division.  “Now we’re trying to identify his two companions who were driving Garcia’s car.”

Garcia’s car was initially described as a Honda Accord, but it turned out to be a silver or gray Infinity.  No license plate has been released, yet.  The two additional suspects are both Hispanic men in their 20s: one tall and with a full beard, and the other shorter.  They were armed with a knife and a gun, though no shots were ever reportedly fired.

All three men are accused of attacking neighbors from two different houses after the neighbors came outside to investigate raucous driving that was disturbing the peace.  “We suspect this loud exhibition may have been intentional on Garcia’s part in order to provoke a confrontation with his neighbors,” Lt. Vernon said.

Garcia was booked for murder and his bail was set at $1 million.  Detectives are continuing to run down leads to identify the two other assailants and find Garcia’s car.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Det. Gene Parshall, Mission Homicide Unit, at (818) 838-9954.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).   Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.