Charles Lee Isaac was 27 years old when he died on Sunday, February 15, 2009, in Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 1159 N. Western Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report gave a short account of what police said happened. Isaac, described as "a 27-year-old black man," was stabbed "in a bar fight" in the 1100 block of North Western Avenue. "Isaac and an unidentified 43-year-old Latino got into a fight in a bar. They ended up outside on the sidewalk, according to Los Angeles police."
What happened next was described in the careful language police use when the facts are disputed. "Isaac allegedly stabbed the other man, and the man allegedly stabbed Isaac in the neck, police said." The other man "was treated for his wound and survived the incident."
The entry did not name him, and it did not say whether he was arrested, questioned or released.
That account leaves the most important questions open. It does not say what started the fight inside the bar, who drew a knife first, or whether there was more than one knife. It does not say whether witnesses inside the bar or on the sidewalk gave statements, or whether the other man claimed he acted in self-defense. No ruling by police or prosecutors on that question appears in the public record, and the coroner classified the death as a homicide.
Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Charles Lee Isaac has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. His name is shared by many other men, and searches for it turn up obituaries in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere, none of which can be tied to this death.
Hollywood is one of the best-known neighborhoods in Los Angeles, famous around the world for the film and television industry and for landmarks such as the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood sign in the hills above. Away from the tourist corridors, much of Hollywood is a dense, working neighborhood of apartment buildings, small businesses, bars and restaurants. Western Avenue is one of the city's long north-south streets, lined with storefronts and nightlife spots as it passes through the area.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Charles Lee Isaac could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in a bar or on the sidewalk in the 1100 block of North Western Avenue in Hollywood on February 15, 2009, or who knew Charles Isaac, may hold information that could help. 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 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
