Authorities released shocking video Wednesday showing a man repeatedly stabbing a homeless man in California and offered a $50,000 reward for any information that would lead to the attacker’s arrest.
Hernando Perez, 58, died on Nov. 8, two days after a man approached him on a bench in downtown Los Angeles and repeatedly stabbed him, police said. Los Angeles police released surveillance video of the Nov. 6 incident that captured a man wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt walking up to Perez and stabbing him, causing him to fall to the ground.
The attacker plunged the knife into Perez’s body two more times before fleeing the scene with a black backpack. Video shows him stabbing the homeless man one last time as he ran away.
“It’s still under investigation whether or not that backpack belonged to the homeless person, and he took it, or if that was the suspect’s backpack, and he was retrieving it,” police said.
Paramedics arrived at the scene around 8:30 p.m. that day and took Perez to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
“During the assault, the suspect was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt with ‘Thrasher’ written across the chest, jogger type pants, and black shoes with white soles,” police said in a news release. “Several images depicted the suspect, throughout the evening, wearing a white t-shirt with an unknown type of logo on the front, a purple or light blue hat with a white logo, carrying a backpack with what appears to be a luggage tag attached.”
Police also described the attacker as a man between 25 and 35 years old, about 6 feet 3 inches tall with a thin build and brown hair.
The assailant was also seen with a woman, described as having a small-to-medium build and brown hair, before and after the stabbing incident.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information can call detectives at 213-996-1878.
