Two arrested in fatal stabbing of 25-year-old man on Metro train

Two men have been arrested in the fatal stabbing this week of a 25-year-old aboard a Metro Blue Line train in Long Beach.

Police on Friday arrested 18-year-old Akili Collins on suspicion of murder and 19-year-old Melake Daniel on suspicion of acting as an accessory after the fact, according to a news release from the Long Beach Police Department.

The motive for the stabbing is under investigation. Police said it may have stemmed from a fight with the victim, Luis Fernando Polita of Los Angeles.

The attack occurred at the 1st Street station about 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday, police said. Passengers on the train alerted the rail operator that a person was injured during a scuffle and needed immediate medical attention.

Polita died en route to a hospital. His was Metro’s second confirmed homicide in 2023, according to the transit agency.

Police are working to determine if there are other suspects.

During a preliminary investigation, detectives determined three males boarded the train in Long Beach and immediately began assaulting Polita. One attacker pulled out a knife and stabbed him multiple times.

The attackers fled the train when it came to a stop near 1st Street and Pine Avenue, police said.

The killing is the latest episode of violence to hit the transit system, which has faced rising crime and plummeting ridership since the start of the pandemic.

Earlier this month, two people were stabbed at Metro Red Line stations in separate incidents, police said.

One man was attacked during an apparent argument in a train at the Hollywood/Western station, police said. Officials have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the stabbing.

Another man was stabbed on the Red Line platform at the Westlake/MacArthur Park station. He was taken to a hospital for neck and torso injuries.