Hollywood: Keith Falin, 43

Keith Falin, a 43-year-old white man, was stabbed several times and died Thursday, August 6 in the 6100 block of Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, officials said.

Falin was one of four victims of a Hollywood stabbing rampage that left Roger Cota, 52 dead, and left two others critically injured. 

Police responded to a radio call about a man stabbed at 1:57 p.m., about half an hour after responding to the Cota scene a few blocks away. When they arrived in the 6100 block of Hollywood Boulevard, they found Falin wounded. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m.

Domingo Linares Rodas, a 53-year-old Latino,  has been charged in connection with killing Falin, as well as in the attempted murder of Ronald Vaughn, who was stabbed as he walked along Argyle Avenue near Yucca Street, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Police said they have linked Rodas to the two other attacks that occurred nearby that day, including the stabbing death of Cota. District attorney officials said both cases remain under investigation.

Rodas allegedly preyed on his victims, described by police as transients, over a period of several hours as motorists and pedestrians filled the streets.

The stabbings occurred near the site where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton had held a news conference hours earlier to announce that crime had dropped markedly in Hollywood and that 40 additional officers would be assigned to the area.

City officials said the stabbing illustrates the difficulties of policing in a busy, urban environment.

If convicted, Rodas faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole, the district attorney said. Los Angeles County jail records indicate that  there is an immigration hold in Rodas' case, typically an indication that there is a question about an inmate's immigration status.

-- Robert J. Lopez and Anthony Pesce