Davis California stabbing: Suspect arrested with a 'hunting-style knife'

University of California, Davis increased its security measures after the attacks

A man, who was a University of California, Davis student until last week, has been arrested for a series of stabbings that put the town on edge, police said.

The 21-year-old suspect was arrested on Thursday, a day after being detained with a large knife.

The seemingly random attacks in the town have shut down community events and spurred students to carry weapons.

Police say community members called them after spotting the man in a park.

The suspect, Carlos Dominguez, is currently in custody and is being interrogated. Police say he had been a student at the University of California, Davis up until last week.

He was detained on Wednesday close to one of the murder scenes after police received phone call tip-offs from 15 members of the community.

The suspect was found wearing clothing "which appeared to be identical to the clothing description provided after the 3rd attack," police said in a statement. They added that he was found with cuts on his hands and wrists, and that blood and other recovered "biological evidence" links him to the attacks.

On Thursday, the former student was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

Carter Carlson told the BBC's US Partner CBS News that he called police after seeing a person matching the suspect's description near a vigil for the victims in a city park.

"I noticed they had long curly hair and they had the Adidas pants that they've been talking about," said Mr Carlson.

In a statement after his arrest the University of California, Davis said Mr Dominguez was in his third year at the university until last week. On 25 April, "he was separated for academic reasons", the statement said.

"We urge the community not to rush to conclusions or speculate until all facts are known," university officials said, adding: "We are grateful for law enforcement's quick response and resolution during an extremely difficult period for the city and campus."

Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said the first victim, 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, was found on Thursday 27 April on a bench where he often ate and slept.

The second victim was 20-year-old student Karim Abou Najm. The computer science major was six weeks away from graduating before he was stabbed to death at Sycamore Park on Saturday evening.

The third stabbing occurred shortly before midnight on Monday at a homeless encampment. The victim, who has not been named, was stabbed several times through her tent and is now recovering.

The attacks put the city - with a population of about 67,000 - on edge and forced events to be cancelled.

Evening classes were switched to remote learning for students, after a temporary shelter-in-place order was lifted.

A farmers' market in the park was cancelled on Wednesday, and a local grocery store announced it would begin closing early.

A block party that was scheduled for Saturday which was to feature live music and local vendors has also been cancelled.

Because two of the victims were homeless, the city also implemented a temporary shelter programme. According to CBS News, 24 people from the community have been receiving the emergency housing assistance.