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This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

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Man is Stabbed, Cries for Help, People Hear, Do Nothing, Man Dies

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On March 9, 70-year-old Katan Khaimov went for a walk. He started at his West Hollywood apartment and was later found dead with stab wounds near Poinsetta Park, which is in Los Angeles at the WeHo border. For over an hour, Khaimov cried for help, according to the LA Times.

The fact that Khaimov was slain has been hard enough for his neighborhood to accept. But the awful coda of his life has added to the soul-searching. Neighbors, it turns out, heard him dying -- crying for help after being stabbed in the stomach -- for more than an hour before anyone called the police. Officials say several residents in Khaimov's neighborhood, which straddles the cities of West Hollywood and Los Angeles, believed his moans were the sounds of a vagrant. Cars also passed by while he was lying next to the street, still alive, his head and one arm flopped over the curb.

LAPD's Capt. Clay Farrell of the Hollywood Division told the Times that he's not surprised. "Farrell acknowledged that residents' perception that they are less safe -- 'right or wrong' -- is all that matters. Residents are often forced to weigh their concern for others against their own safety, and many times, Farrell said, 'people opt out' -- opt not to get involved."

A lesson can be learned here for all: it never hurts to call the police to do there job. Information is power, right? So give the police information of what's happening on the streets and they'll assess what to do. The more intel the public gives police, the better they can do to help a neighborhood. A good first step for Los Angeles residents? Get to know your Senior Lead Officer (SLO) -- every neighborhood has one. Call 3-1-1 and say you're looking for your LAPD Senior Lead Officer for your neighborhood. They'll ask you questions and direct you to the right place. If they don't, leave a comment here.

Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr

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