Inset: Luis McLaughlin Jr. (Newark Police Department). Background: Thornton Avenue in Newark, California, where McLaughlin allegedly stabbed a man (Google Maps).
An 18-year-old California man livestreamed the attempted murder of a stranger from his Discord account, according to authorities.
Cops in Newark, which is roughly 35 miles southeast of San Francisco, responded shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 5600 block of Thornton Avenue. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds in the back. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He”s now listed in stable condition.
Detectives identified the suspect as Luis McLaughlin Jr., and the SWAT team took him into custody at a home in the 5000 block of Civic Terrace Avenue on Sunday, police said in a statement. Prosecutors formally charged him Monday with one count of attempted murder.
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The investigation revealed the incident was “motivated by a desire for notoriety,” cops said. McLaughlin and the victim did not know each other, according to officers.
Prosecutors with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office told local CW affiliate KRON that McLaughlin attacked as the victim was cleaning kitchen equipment outside a restaurant.
“The victim of the attack appears to have had no prior relationship with Mr. McLaughlin. The attack was broadcast live on Mr. McLaughlin’s social media, Discord,” prosecutors wrote, per KRON.
Discord is a streaming app popular with video gamers.
Local Fox affiliate KTVU spoke to the restaurant CEO, who said the employee was stabbed in the lung — which was punctured during the attack — and shoulder.
After his arrest, the suspect wrote an apology letter, according to KTVU. Cops also recovered the alleged murder weapon, KTVU reported.
