Campus Alert Archive
Cal Poly Pomona

Lyle Center Stabbing: A Cal Poly Pomona Parking Officer Killed in His Own Truck

CAstabbingemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On June 29, 2018, Cal Poly Pomona Public Safety Specialist Mark Manlapaz was stabbed to death inside his university vehicle near the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies on the south side of campus at approximately 4:30 p.m. PDT. About 25 minutes later, the suspect—a campus custodian—was fatally shot by police near University Drive and Temple Avenue. The campus issued a Safety Alert at approximately 5:00 p.m.

Alerts
3
Response
30 min
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Public Masters · CA
~30,000 studentsRaveCal Poly Pomona Safety Alert System
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimCBS Los Angeles, which quoted the Cal Poly Pomona Safety Alert verbatim109 chars
Major police activity at Campus South (Lanterman) & Lyle Center. Stay away from those areas. More info coming
Verbatim text of the Cal Poly Pomona safety alert distributed at approximately 5:00 PM PDT on June 29, 2018
Sent approximately 30 minutes after Manlapaz was discovered in his university truck near the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies
The alert pairs two location anchors — Campus South (Lanterman) and the Lyle Center — without yet naming the stabbing or officer-involved shooting
UPDATESMS+1h 30m
Approximate reconstructionABC7 Los Angeles191 chars
CPP Safety Alert Update: An officer-involved shooting has occurred near W. University Dr. and Temple Ave. The scene is contained. Continue to avoid the area while the investigation continues.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from ABC7 LA's reporting that the officer-involved shooting occurred about 25 minutes after the initial stabbing was discovered
Text reflects the typical second-message pattern of an officer-involved shooting incident: confirmed activity, scene contained, but ongoing investigation
By the time of this message, the suspect was already deceased; this was not communicated explicitly until later
ALL CLEARSMS+3 h
Approximate reconstructionPolyCentric (Cal Poly Pomona news)180 chars
CPP Safety Alert: All clear. There is no ongoing threat to campus. Police activity continues in the area for investigation only. Mental health resources are available through CAPS.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from PolyCentric's evening update on June 29, 2018
All-clear language pairs ongoing investigative activity with the assertion that there is no continuing threat
Inclusion of the CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) reference reflects emerging trauma-aware alerting practices
Context

Background

Mark Manlapaz, 36, was a Cal Poly Pomona Public Safety Specialist who handled parking enforcement and routine campus patrols. On June 29, 2018, he was found by a colleague inside his university truck near the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies on the south side of the Pomona campus, suffering from multiple stab wounds. The suspect, a 27-year-old Cal Poly Pomona custodian named Jonas Aldaba, was spotted approximately 25 minutes later operating another campus vehicle and acting erratically. He confronted Pomona Police near W. University Drive and Temple Avenue and was fatally shot. Cal Poly Pomona's Safety Alert system, operated through Rave, sent a series of messages between approximately 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. PDT. The Manlapaz killing was the first violent on-duty death of a Cal State University public safety employee in over a decade and prompted a re-examination of single-officer parking patrol staffing across the CSU system.
Analysis

Key Findings

First violent on-duty death of a Cal State University public safety employee in over a decade
Both victim and suspect were Cal Poly Pomona employees, making this an internal workplace violence event
Roughly 30-minute interval between the discovery of the body and the first Safety Alert reflects the time required to assess scope before notification
Inclusion of mental health resources in the all-clear language reflects emerging trauma-aware practice
Outcome
Manlapaz, 36, pronounced dead at the scene. Suspect Jonas Aldaba, a campus custodian, fatally shot by Pomona Police during an officer-involved shooting near University Drive and Temple Avenue. No additional injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Cal Poly Pomona security officer killed, suspect fatally shot on campus (PolyCentric)
    polycentric.cpp.edu
  2. News
    Police: Cal State Poly Pomona officer killed in stabbing, suspect fatally shot (CBS News)
    cbsnews.com
  3. News
    Cal Poly Pomona Public Safety Employee Fatally Stabbed (KTLA)
    ktla.com
  4. News
    Friends, Family Mourn Victim in Cal Poly Pomona Stabbing (NBC Los Angeles)
    nbclosangeles.com
Tags
stabbingworkplace-violencepublic-safety-officercsu-systemcaliforniapomonaofficer-involved-shootingfatallyle-center
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion