By Emily Rasmussen
A San Juan Capistrano man is in custody for fatally stabbing his mother and critically injuring his father outside a residence near La Novia and Ortega Highway on Friday, March 30.
The suspect, Yihong Peng, 30, from San Juan Capistrano, was arrested on March 31 and booked into Orange County Jail on murder charges. Peng is currently being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to go to court on Monday, April 2, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) press statement said.
“Deputies responded to calls from neighbors at approximately 10:30 p.m. of a man on the street with a knife. Deputies arrived to the scene within one minute and located two victims, both with stab wounds, and observed the suspect attempting to flee the scene,” OCSD Spokesperson Carrie Braun said in the statement. “Following a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. A knife was recovered at the scene.”
The family dispute turned deadly when Wei Ping Shen, 59, of San Clemente, was pronounced dead at the scene after life-saving efforts by both Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) deputies and the Orange County Fire Authority, an OCSD press statement said. The second victim is Peng’s father, a male in his fifties, who was critically injured and was transported to a local hospital.
“(The father) is out of surgery, he’s awake and expected to survive,” OCSD Lt. Carl Bulanek, San Juan Capistrano chief of police services, said on Monday.
The suspect’s brother, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, is a Mission Viejo-based Esports player for Team Liquid AD. Doublelift, 24, is one of the most popular League of Legends players in North America, according to ESPN.
“This weekend I received some terrible news. My older brother attacked both of my parents with a knife. As a result of this attack, my mom passed away and my dad was seriously hurt and is now recovering in the hospital,” Doublelift said in a TwitLonger post. “I’m still processing this news and joining up with my dad and little brother to make sure they’re OK and the proper arrangements are being made. I’ll likely be quiet on social media while I work through this. I hope you all understand and support me as you always have in the past.”
The parents did not live with Peng, Bulanek said. Although homicide investigators are stilling looking into a motive for the incident, according to the press statement, Bulanek said that deputies found that the suspect and his girlfriend broke up about one month ago.
“(The parents) went to check on (Peng) and I guess he didn’t like what they had to say to him, so he ended up chasing them down the street (with a knife),” Bulanek said.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the OCSD’s Homicide Unit at 714.647.7055. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855.TIP.OCCS (855.847.6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.
This is a developing story. The Capistrano Dispatch will update this story when more information becomes available.
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