Fatal Lake Elsinore Parking Lot Stabbing: Arrest Made

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A 50-year-old man was behind bars Monday in connection with a fatal stabbing Friday night in a Lake Elsinore parking lot.

Steven Smith of Lake Elsinore was booked into Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of murder following the stabbing that was reported at 9:32 p.m. Friday in a business parking lot in the 31000 block of Riverside Drive, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Jail records show Smith was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

When deputies arrived, they found a man with several stab wounds. Despite life-saving efforts, the man died at the scene. The victim was identified as Fabian Rodriguez, 41, of Lake Elsinore.

Deputies were able to develop information about the suspect and where he fled. The man, later identified as Smith, was seen fleeing into an apartment complex in the 16000 block of Joy Street, where he was apprehended.

A motive for the stabbing, and the relationship between Smith and Rodriguez, if any, was not disclosed by investigators.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to call Investigator D. Robertson of the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Contreras of the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station at 951-245-3300.