LAKE FOREST – A Mission Viejo man was stabbed to death and another critically injured early Saturday morning in a restaurant parking lot, a Sheriff’s Department official said.

The man has been identified as Elvis Kechechian, 26, sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Kechechian was the strength and conditioning coach for the ice hockey team at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita.

He was hired in 2010 and worked with the ice hockey players three times a week at the school’s fitness center, said Amanda Coronado, a spokeswoman for Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

“The boys loved him and loved working with him. He was dedicated, passionate and committed,” Coronado said. “The school is deeply saddened by the loss of Elvis. Our prayers go out to his family.”

Members of the ice hockey team met Saturday night to pray for Kechechian’s family, she said.

“The team is just devastated to hear of his loss,” she said. “He went above and beyond, and went to all their games.”

Kechechian was polite, intelligent, helpful and a good friend, said Carlos Ferreira, who had known Kechechian since 2005. He discovered a passion for fitness after he began working out.

“The guy had no enemies,” he said. “I can’t believe this happened.”

Kechechian was the owner and a personal trainer at Ladera Ranch Personal Training, his LinkedIn profile and the Ladera Ranch Personal Training website state. He discovered a passion for fitness when he began working out, Ferreira said.

The stabbing occurred at 2 a.m. at the Albatross Mexican Restaurant, 23591 Rockfield Blvd., Amormino said. An argument inside the restaurant spilled out to the parking lot, he said.

Four men and three women were involved, he said.

The injured men were taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. One died shortly afterward; the other is undergoing surgery and remains in critical condition, Amormino said.

Deputies are interviewing about 20 people who witnessed the incident, he said. Other witnesses fled, but were caught on a nearby surveillance camera, Amormino said.

Those people are being asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 866-847-6273.

Such incidents are “extremely rare” in Lake Forest, Amormino said.

“It has been named one of the safest cities in America,” he said. “We’ve not had a homicide in this city in nearly two years.”

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com