A man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend in a church parking lot in Gardena has been arrested after an hourslong standoff with police in Texas.
Kevin Darnell Dickson, 55, was arrested after barricading himself inside what is believed to be his ex-wife's home in the city of Pflugerville, Texas, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Charles Moore said in a news release Saturday.
Dickson was wanted for allegedly stabbing to death 50-year-old ex-girlfriend Patricia Harrison in a church parking lot on the 14500 block of South San Pedro Street in Gardena on Wednesday, April 18. Both Dickson and Harrison were Lynwood residents.
Police responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon found Harrison suffering from multiple stab wounds, said LASD Deputy Tina Schrader. Harrison was pronounced dead at a hospital.
After the alleged stabbing, Dickson fled, with authorities determining that he was likely headed to Texas.
A team of Texas special weapons officers forced themselves into the home after Dickson refused to give himself up, Moore said.
"With the help of the Austin County Sheriff's Office, United States Marshal Service, and the Austin Police Department, Suspect Dickson was located and eventually taken into custody after a brief struggle," he said.
Authorities believe his ex-wife did not know Dickson was wanted for murder, and she was not home during the barricade, Moore said. She has also been cooperating with authorities.
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Dickson will be booked into the Travis County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Los Angeles.
Anyone with information is asked to call the LASD's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. People can also submit anonymous tips through lacrimestoppers.org or by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up for Patricia's family, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 2.9 percent of all funds raised, plus 30 cents per donation, in the form of payment processing charges.
