Manhattan Beach Police Beat
Stabbing suspect turns himself in
The man accused of stabbing a friend multiple times with a knife in a Manhattan Beach hotel room on January 17 turned himself in to police last week.
Lee Simpson, 31, called MBPD Detective Sgt. Steve Kitsios last Friday. Police had been conducting a manhunt during the previous week. Kitsios had known Simpson from the suspect’s days as a Manhattan Pizzeria employee. The detective knew the pier area from his days working patrol and had given his MBPD cell number to Simpson’s friends and former co-workers.
“We had so much pressure on him,” Kitsios said. “Finally, he called. He said, ‘I’ve got nowhere else to go…You know what, Steve, I’ve known you for years and I trust you. I want you to put the cuffs on me.’”
They arranged a meeting point in Redondo Beach and Simpson turned himself in without incident Friday morning. He was charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The stabbing occurred Jan. 17 at the Crimson Hotel on Sepulveda Boulevard. Officers arrived at the scene at 2:46 a.m. and found a man who’d sustained at least five stab wounds. Police found narcotics at the scene. The victim, whose identity was not released, was transported to a local hospital. A source who asked not to be identified said the victim was a former co-worker of Simpson’s at Manhattan Pizzeria.