A popular culinary arts instructor and his wife were fatally stabbed by a man whom the the husband had identified as a relative inside their Pasadena home Monday morning, police said.
The instructor, who taught at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, was identified by colleagues as Larry Bressler. He was also the director of operations at Chefs Center of California, which serves as an incubator kitchen for people interested in starting their own food companies.
The incident was reported around 6 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 200 block of North Madison Avenue, according to the Pasadena Police Department.
Bressler called 911 to report that he and his wife, Denise, had been stabbed, Lt. Tracie Ibarra said. He told authorities that the attacker, a family member, had left the apartment.
When officers responded to the scene, they found a man walking a short distance away with blood on his clothes, Ibarra said. He was arrested without incident.
The couple was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. They later died.
One other person was also hurt in the stabbing, police said.
Police have not identified the suspected assailant, but he was described as a man about 30 years old.
Detectives were trying to find a motive behind the attack.
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Joe Colletti, the executive director of Chefs Center, said the relative was a second cousin who was temporarily staying with the couple.
"I'm always going to remember him as someone who brought me here and pushed me harder, exactly what I needed," said chef Tony Campos.
Bressler's office shelves are lined with products made by people he mentored.
"He's always been a positive influence on everyone here," said another chef, Vice Cole.
Neighbor Josh Johnson found out about the stabbing when he received a mobile push notification from NBC4, but didn't think it was near him, let alone in his own apartment complex.
"I said, 'oh, that's terrible,' but I didn't think it could be anywhere near me because I live in a really nice area."
Aerial footage showed law enforcement vehicles blocking off streets in the area.
Toni Guinyard contributed to this report.
