13 April 2023 , 14:55
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Police have made an arrest in connection to the killing of Cash App mogul Bob Lee - with the suspect also reportedly being a tech executive who knew the star.
San Francisco police confirmed an arrest was made earlier this morning after the 43-year-old tech mogul was stabbed to death on April 4.
According to local media, the suspect was a fellow tech executive and a man Mr Lee reportedly knew. The suspect is reportedly the owner of a company called Expand IT.
Mission Local reports the suspect was a fellow tech executive who lives in the Bay Area. The pair were reportedly seen in a car together at around 2.30am.
Five minutes later, at around 2.35am, police were called to Main Street in the city where they found the dad-of-two suffering stab wounds.
Tech mogul killed in 'senseless' mugging after 'staying an extra day' on trip
The tech mogul was on a quick trip to the Californian city for a tech conference and it has not been reported whether the suspect was at the same even. Mr Lee had headed to San Fran from Miami for a "quick visit" and stayed an extra day, according to friends.
Police sources said the paid had some sort of confrontation before the alleged stabbing.
Mr Lee somehow reportedly staggered out of the car and CCTV footage showed him struggling to walk along an empty San Francisco street in the early hours of the morning.
In distressing footage, Mr Lee stumbles through the streets and is seen on the phone to 911 when a bystander saw him and drove off - despite the dad pleading with the driver for help.
The dad-of-two moved had recently moved from the city (Facebook)He begged the driver: "Help. Someone stabbed me.”
Mr Lee fell to the ground before emergency services arrived to the scene where they found him bleeding.
The dad was rushed to hospital but tragically died from his wounds later that morning.
His death led to an outcry from tech leaders including Elon Musk who linked it to fears of a rising drugs and crime crisis in San Francisco, a known tech hub.
Mr Musk tweeted: "Many people I know have been severely assaulted.
"Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.
Tech mogul seen pleading with bystander after fatal stabbing but they drove away
"Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders?"
Bob Lee was found stabbedBut Mayor London Breed told people not to ""jump to conclusions", adding that people "will be surprised when the facts come out'".
Mr Lee had been part of the Bay Area software development community for a long time, having recently moved to Miami amid concerns over the rise in crimes in the city.
He helped launch the Cash App, which has tens of millions of users across the US and UK, and was chief product officer of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin.
He was also an investor in SpaceX, Clubhouse and Figma.
Flowers and cards left in tribute to Bob Lee (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Mr Lee's father, Rick Lee, paid tribute to his son following his death.
He wrote on Facebook: "I just lost my best friend, my son Bob Lee when he lost his life on the street in San Francisco early Tuesday morning.
"I moved to Mill Valley, CA, with Bob after his mother died in 2019 and we recently relocated to Miami in Oct 2022.
"Life has been an adventure with two bachelors living together, and I'm happy that we were able to become so close these last years.
"Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgement philosophy.
"Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known. He will be missed by all those that knew him.
"Thank you to those who have reached out in support."