Carlos Adan Arellano was 22 years old when he died early on Saturday, August 16, 2014, in Echo Park, a little more than half an hour after he was attacked late on Friday night, August 15. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds after being attacked in the 1500 block of Sunset Boulevard. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Northeast Division case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report said that about 11:30 p.m., "Arellano was approached by three men in their 20s, said Officer Nuria Vanegas." The "alleged assailants tried to take Arellano's skateboard and a fight ensued," and "one of the people stabbed Arellano in the torso and fled." He was taken to a hospital and "pronounced dead at 12:03 a.m. the next day." The Los Angeles Daily News reported that he was stabbed "after refusing to give up his skateboard."
His sister, Jessica Arellano, told CBS2: "It's hard seeing my brother dying over someone who just wanted a skateboard. It's really ridiculous. Anyone who knows anything, please come forward."
KTLA reported that he was walking home from a music festival. In November 2014, the LAPD and Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell announced a $50,000 reward "for information leading to the identity, arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible." The LAPD release said he "was walking on the 1500 block of Sunset Blvd with a female companion" when he "became involved in a dispute with a male Hispanic, approximately 20-23 years old," and that "the verbal dispute escalated into a physical altercation, during which Arellano was stabbed." CBS Los Angeles reported that O'Farrell "noted that Arellano was attacked while the surrounding sidewalks were teeming with fellow attendees of the Echo Park Rising festival."
The killing moved people beyond his family. A skateboarding news site reported that locals hung a complete skateboard on a lamp post near the scene, with a handwritten message to the killer that asked, "Did they kill him for a skateboard? Or just for fun?"
Echo Park is a hillside neighborhood just northwest of downtown Los Angeles, known for Echo Park Lake and its lotus beds, and for its closeness to Dodger Stadium. Sunset Boulevard runs through its commercial heart, lined with bars, cafes, music venues and small shops. Echo Park Rising is a free neighborhood music festival held along that stretch each August, and on the night Arellano was attacked, the area was crowded with festivalgoers, many of whom may have seen the confrontation or the men who ran from it.
By the mid-2010s Los Angeles was recording roughly 250 to 300 homicides a year, among the lowest totals in decades, yet many of those killings still went unsolved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Carlos Adan Arellano could be found in news archives or public records. More than 11 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who attended Echo Park Rising or was on Sunset Boulevard near the 1500 block late on August 15, 2014, may hold information that could help detectives. The LAPD asked anyone with information to contact Northeast Homicide Detectives James Yamada or Lisa Governo at 323-344-5744. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
