Altadena Man Killed in Stabbing Identified

Authorities have released the identity of a 33-year-old Altadena man who was stabbed to death in a residential neighborhood earlier this week.

Juan Cortez died following the 9:15 p.m. attack in the 600 block of Devirian Place, according to Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner officials and sheriff’s investigators. Authorities initially described him as 23 years old.

After responding to witnesses initially reported as a shooting victim, deputies encountered Cortez suffering from “apparent puncture wounds,” according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau.

Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds shortly after midnight on Monday, Schrader said in a written statement.

Detectives determined that the victim was involved in an “altercation” with at least two other men, estimated to be in their 20s, she said. The motive was unclear.

No further details were available Friday.

Cortez, himself, had a violent past, court records show.

He was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 2015 for an attack that took place in February of 2014, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

In that case, he stabbed another man with a screwdriver five times outside an Altadena restaurant in what investigators described as a gang-related attack, the Los Angeles Times reported shortly after his arrest.

After serving a portion of a four-year prison term, Cortez was released. He was again arrested in 2016 and convicted the following year of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, court records show.

He was also convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 2007 and sentenced to a year in jail, records show.

Anyone with information was urged to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted online to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.