LOS ANGELES _ Police have captured a man suspected of killing two homeless men in downtown Los Angeles and critically injuring two others in a series of assaults that have unnerved Los Angeles County's homeless community over the past two weeks.
Ramon Escobar, 47, was arrested by police in Santa Monica in connection with an attack on a homeless man in the 1500 block of 7th Street, authorities said. In a news release, the Los Angeles Police Department said they believe Escobar is also the man who used a baseball bat to kill two homeless men as they slept on downtown streets on Sept. 16. A third man was critically injured in those assaults.
A news conference to discuss Escobar's arrest has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday morning, Santa Monica police officers found a man beaten unconscious shortly before 7 a.m. in the 1500 block of 7th Street, Lt. Saul Rodriguez said. Roughly 30 minutes later, officers spotted a potential suspect, later identified as Escobar, in the 600 block of Broadway and arrested him without incident.
The victim appeared to be homeless and was either sitting or leaning against a wall when he was struck, according to Rodriguez. It was not clear whether he was asleep at the time, or if a robbery took place.
The victim remained unconscious and in critical condition at a hospital Monday afternoon, Rodriguez said.
The attack comes on the heels of similar beatings that have left three men dead and a fourth critically injured. In each of the prior attacks, the victims suffered blunt force trauma to their heads after being pummeled while they slept outside, police have said.
Around 4 a.m. on Sept. 16, a man wielding a baseball bat smashed the weapon across the head and shoulders of a homeless man sleeping near 5th and Flower streets, the LAPD has said. The 59-year-old victim died of his injuries two days later, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
Less than an hour later, the same man attacked two other homeless men who were sleeping on Flower Street near Wilshire Boulevard. One of the victims, a 20-year-old man, also died of his injuries on Thursday. The third victim was hospitalized in critical condition.
The victims' identities have not been released, pending notification of their families. Two of the assaults were caught on video, and the LAPD believes the suspect was also homeless and was trying to rob isolated targets. He could be seen rummaging through the victims' pockets on surveillance footage recovered from the area, police said.
It is not clear whether Escobar is also suspected in the killing of Steven Ray Cruze Jr., a 39-year-old San Gabriel man who was found beaten to death under the Santa Monica Pier last week. Santa Monica police initially said they were working with the LAPD to investigate whether that case was linked.
