Bus stop homicide suspect convicted in two prior stabbing incidents

San Mateo police say they arrested a suspect two days after a fatal stabbing at a SamTrans bus stop.

In a statement released Monday, police say a 56-year-old man has been in custody since May 16 on suspicion of fatally stabbing Tedrick Towns, 48, at a bus stop located at 11 West Hillsdale Boulevard. According to police, the two men knew each other and had argued at the scene prior to the attack.

The Police Department received a 911 call on May 14 about “a man slumped over on a bench” at the SamTrans bus stop and officers were dispatched around 6:48 a.m. Upon arrival, they found Towns unresponsive “with a pool of blood underneath him.”

Police say they canvassed the area for surveillance footage and witness accounts, which helped them identify the suspect who they described as a parolee-at-large with an outstanding warrant. The man had been convicted for two prior stabbing incidents, including a 2020 attack at another bus stop, and had failed to register as a sex offender, police said.

Though the investigation is ongoing, police say they have learned that the victim and suspect knew each other and argued at the bus stop sometime around 1:40 a.m., which led to the stabbing. According to the timeline, approximately five hours passed before Towns was discovered. He was pronounced dead at the scene after police arrived.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to please contact police immediately by calling (650) 522-7700 or Detective Sergeant Paul Pak at (650) 522-7660, or by email at [email protected].

People can also submit anonymous tips at https://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling (650) 522-7676.

Police stress that “no tip is too small in this case.”