U P D A T E: LAPD ARRESTS 3 IN CLEVELAND HIGH STABBING

By Eric Hartley Staff Writer, LA Daily News | - LA Daily News http://bit.ly/12nt4ls

4/25/2013 07:29:46 AM PDT  :: Online chatter about a fatal stabbing Wednesday afternoon outside a Reseda high school helped police find three suspects, who were arrested Thursday morning.

Kevin Orellano, 18, of Reseda was playing handball at Cleveland High School just before 4 p.m. when two young men, whom Los Angeles police said are gang members, walked up and got into an argument with him.

The two apparently didn't know Orellano, who had no gang ties, but felt disrespected for some reason, LAPD Detective Joel Price said.

"It doesn't take much to set gang members off," Price said. "All one need to do is look at them and they feel as though they're being mad-dogged, I guess, if you will. And they want to know what you're looking at."

One of the people punched Orellano, police said, then another took out a "a small pocket knife" and stabbed him in the torso.

The two ran off and rode away in a minivan driven by a young woman, Price said. Paramedics treated Orellano and took him to a hospital, but he died there.

It did not appear any of those involved was a current student at Cleveland High. Price said Orellano and the 16-year-old suspect were believed to be former students.

Students who heard about the stabbing and read a description of one of the suspects found a photo of him on a social media site and shared it with each other, Price said. Meanwhile, detectives were reading, too.

Price would not say what social media site the students used, but said it was not Facebook.

About 12:15 a.m. today, police went to a home in the 15000 block of Roscoe Boulevard in North Hills and arrested Michael Steven Carpio, 19, of Panorama City and a 16-year-old boy, both on suspicion of murder.

Price said detectives believe the 16-year-old, whose name police can't release, stabbed Orellano. He was booked as a juvenile but could later be charged as an adult.

Police also arrested Michelle Pineda, 19, of Los Angeles, whom Price said was the driver of the minivan that took the two other suspects from the scene. She was also booked on suspicion of murder.