News & Blogs - Fourth homeless man attacked in San Diego | Squat the Planet

News & Blogs Fourth homeless man attacked in San Diego

landpirate

campervan untilising nomadic traveller
Joined
Dec 18, 2011
Messages
949
Reaction score
1,569
Location
Brighton, United Kingdom
Be careful if you're in the San Diego area. There is a video of a suspect but it doesn't seem to want to load when pasted to the thread, so follow the link to have a look.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-diego-homeless-killings-20160706-snap-story.html


Fourth homeless man is attacked in San Diego as police search for killer
Kevin Faulconer and Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman called the case the department's highest priority. Officers and activists have been informing homeless people of the attacks, showing them photos of the suspect, working to connect people with services and shelter, and advising them to be particularly aware of their surroundings.

"These evil acts of violence are some of the worst I've seen in my 34 years in law enforcement," Zimmerman said.

These evil acts of violence are some of the worst I've seen in my 34 years in law enforcement.— Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman
Nisleit stopped short of calling the assailant a serial killer, but described the attacks as a series. “We consider him extremely dangerous,” Nisleit said. “We need to have him removed from the community as soon as possible.”

The spree began Sunday. Police said the victims all suffered similar and significant trauma to the upper torso, but they would not detail the injuries. Three of the four men had been sleeping at the time; all were alone.

Angelo De Nardo was the first victim. He was found about 8 a.m. Sunday, ablaze under a freeway bridge in the Bay Park neighborhood. An autopsy concluded the 53-year-old had suffered extensive injuries before being set on fire, officials said.

Police said a man was seen carrying a gas can while running across northbound lanes of Interstate 5 about two blocks away. He was described as 30 to 50 years old, wearing a tan or brown jacket or sweatshirt and a baseball cap and carrying a backpack.

The victims of Monday's attacks were identified Wednesday. Manuel Mason, 61, was found critically injured in the Midway District about 4:50 a.m. He is expected to survive. Shawn Longley, 41, was found dead at a sports facility in Ocean Beach about 6:10 a.m.
Witnesses to Wednesday's attack heard a commotion and saw one man crouched over another behind an apartment building south of Broadway at Columbia Street. One man ran to help the victim and yanked a flaming towel off him, Nisleit said.

He said the towel had been soaked in a flammable liquid and placed on the 23-year-old victim, who was not named. The man also suffered “significant trauma” to his upper torso, Nisleit said.

Michael McConnell, who works with San Diego’s homeless community, said Wednesday that some people he’s spoken with were aware of the attacks — and were afraid and angry. But plenty of others, he said, didn’t know or didn’t care.

"I think there are a lot of people that are so beaten down,” McConnell said. “They're existing but they don't care. It's really sad."

James Johnson said he sleeps by himself, but he’s close to the Broadway police headquarters and doesn’t believe an attacker would strike so close to law enforcement.

“I’m not a social person,” he said. “I’m more of a loner. I always try and find a good spot.”

A number of transients said they had armed themselves in the wake of the attacks. One man brandished a pink bat.

“If someone comes up and I don’t know them at nighttime, with people going around beating up the homeless and taking them out … I’ll tell them to back away, and come out with this” bat, John Henry said.
 

Tude

Sometimes traveler is traveling.
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
4,154
Reaction score
2,955
Location
Rochester, NY
Just read this on the bus this morning! They have a suspect!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/07/us/san-diego-homeless-killings/index.html

San Diego police on Thursday morning arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with a series of attacks on the California city's homeless population, police announced.
Anthony Alexander Padgett was taken into custody in Chula Vista, just south of San Diego, Capt. David Nisleit told reporters.
Nisleit said police had probable cause for the arrest but didn't offer specifics. He said the investigation is ongoing and indicated tips from the public led to Padgett's arrest.
Authorities have not determined whether Padgett is their only suspect.
Two homeless men have been killed -- one set on fire, the other beaten to death -- and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries, one who was beaten and the other set afire.
160705005800-san-diego-homeless-deaths-pkg-00005308-medium-plus-169.jpg

San Diego police are investigating at least four attacks against homeless people.
The first three attacks occurred in 25 hours from early Sunday to Monday. The fourth happened around 5 a.m. Wednesday, when authorities found a man ablaze on the ground across from the federal courthouse downtown.
That victim, a 23-year-old man, was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, Nisleit said Wednesday. A 61-year-old man who was beaten is also expected to survive, he said.
The motive for the attacks is unknown.

Detectives have surveillance video from a convenience store. Nisleit said Thursday that police believe Padgett is on that video.
"This killer has targeted some of our city's most vulnerable residents while they are asleep," Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said. "Please, please, please -- public safety is a shared responsibility."

Nisleit said a burning towel was found on the latest victim. Witnesses saw a man crouched over the victim and described what they initially thought were burning clothes.

On Sunday morning, witnesses reported seeing a man on fire running down the train tracks alongside Interstate 5, according to CNN affiliate KSWB. Police later found the badly charred body of a male.
About the same time, witnesses reported seeing another man in his late 40s to early 50s darting across the freeway away from the train tracks carrying a gas can, said Lt. Manny Del Toro with the San Diego Police.
Two similar attacks took place early Monday morning, when officers found two more victims with severe trauma injuries, one who later died, police say.
160705005800-san-diego-homeless-deaths-pkg-00004720-medium-plus-169.jpg

San Diego homeless deaths
"We're absolutely convinced these attacks are linked," Nisleit said. "We're working through all these cases again."
All the attacks appear to be "senseless, random attacks on the homeless," he said. He encouraged the homeless population to sleep and walk in groups and noted that the attacks have been unnerving for the city.
"It is extremely unsettling for the public, it is extremely unsettling for the homeless population and it is extremely unsettling for the San Diego Police Department," Nisleit said.
This isn't the first time San Diego County has seen violence targeting the homeless and transient populations. Earlier this year, two brothers and a female teenager were accused of fatally beating a homeless man in El Cajon after one of the brothers allegedly got into a fight with some other homeless people in the area.

CNN's Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
 
D

Deleted member 125

Guest
im surprised this got any main stream media attention being that its about homelesss people. but right on they got a suspect hopefully its really the guy whos been doing this shit.
 

roguetrader

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
Messages
552
Reaction score
914
Location
Exeter, United Kingdom
shit like this happening all over - a few years ago a youth gang (poss neo Nazi) were setting homeless people on fire in Barcelona, Spain, think they did about 4 or 5 attacks before getting caught.... In the UK I know one guy personally who was set on fire while sleeping out and heard of another guy in Penzance also set ablaze..... words fail me.....
 

Dmac

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Messages
1,246
Reaction score
1,193
Location
Lincoln ne
They arrested a suspect:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/san-dieg...-deadly-attacks-homeless-162852414.html?nhp=1
San Diego police arrest suspect in deadly attacks on homeless people
d0c3eb8ca18907492a4b337b5cec5193.jpe
By Alex Dobuzinskis
July 8, 2016
By Alex Dobuzinskis

(Reuters) - A man has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the killing of two homeless men and attacks on two other transients in San Diego this week, the mayor said in a statement.

The suspect, identified as Anthony Alexander Padgett, 36, was arrested on Thursday in the suburb of Chula Vista and booked on suspicion of two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson, City News Service reported.

Police and prosecutors did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

"Thanks to the tireless work by the San Diego Police Department and incredible help from the public, we have a suspect in custody," San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said on Twitter late on Thursday.

Investigators believe Padgett is the "person of interest" they initially described who was seen at a convenience store shortly before the first victim's body was found on Sunday morning, local media reported.

Police had publicly released surveillance photos and video of the person.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect had obtained an attorney and he could not be reached for comment.

After the first attack on Sunday, the body of a homeless man was discovered on fire between a highway and train tracks in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, police said. The victim has been identified as 53-year-old Angelo De Nardo and an autopsy determined he was killed before being set ablaze, City News Service said.

On Monday before dawn, a 61-year-old homeless man was discovered bleeding, with trauma to his upper body, less than 4 miles (6 km) south of the first attack, police said. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police also said that on Monday morning, another homeless man was discovered with severe wounds to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene near tennis courts in the Ocean Beach neighborhood. The victim has since been identified as 41-year-old Shawn Longley, according to City News Service.

Early on Wednesday, a homeless man was found critically wounded when he was set on fire outside a downtown San Diego apartment building, police said. Police had said before the arrest that all four attacks appeared to have been the work of one person.



(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; editing by Grant McCool)


Comment Guidelines
 

Renegade

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Messages
151
Reaction score
98
Location
Miami
Man i know this post is older but that is just so fucked up..peace to the victims..

this is why i dont sleep out where people can see me.. i am always hidden pretty well..i have been robbed at gun point while sleeping in the open and had a host of other shit happen..man fuck that..no more
 

About us

  • Squat the Planet is the world's largest social network for misfit travelers. Join our community of do-it-yourself nomads and learn how to explore the world by any means necessary.

    More Info

Help us pay the bills!

Total amount
$10.00
Goal
$100.00

Latest Library Uploads