SAN DIEGO _ A man was in custody Thursday in the series of brutal attacks in San Diego that left two homeless men dead and two others in critical condition, sources said.
A city official and a police official confirmed the arrest. Police said investigators were preparing a statement.
Homicide investigators previously said they were certain one man was behind all attacks, which targeted transients who had been alone, away from other homeless people. Three of the four victims had been sleeping.
The brutal assaults began with the 8 a.m. Sunday death of Angelo De Nardo, 53, who suffered major injuries before being set on fire beneath an Interstate 5 bridge.
At 4:50 a.m. Monday, Manuel Nunez Mason, 61, was critically injured in the Midway District. At 6:10 a.m. the same day, Shawn Mitchell Longley, 41, was found dead of injuries in Ocean Beach.
About 5 a.m. Wednesday, witnesses heard loud noises and saw one man set another on fire along a walkway between condominium complexes in downtown San Diego. The victim, whose name has not been released, suffered major upper-body trauma.
Investigators said a towel was ignited on top of the man, but a witness grabbed it away before the victim was burned.
