Homeless Man Critical After Brutal Attack In Palms

PALMS (CBSLA) – Authorities are investigating an attack which left a homeless man critically wounded early Saturday morning in Palms, the fifth such attack in the past week.

According to Los Angeles police, at around 4:30 a.m. officers responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in the area of Venice Boulevard, under the 405 Freeway. The victim told police he was attacked by someone with a sharp object who then fled.

The victim was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. The exact nature of his injuries were not confirmed.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 16, three homeless men were beaten unconscious by a suspect with a baseball bat while sleeping in downtown Los Angeles. Two of the men later died, while the third remains in critical condition.

Their names have not been released.

On Thursday morning, 39-year-old Steven Cruze Jr., a father of two, was found beaten to death under the Santa Monica Pier. His family told CBS2 he was a fisherman who sometimes slept on the beach before heading in to work.

Surveillance video of the suspect in the downtown attacks has been released. The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man, 30 to 40 years old with bowed legs and a distinctive gait.

Officials told CBS2's Greg Mills Saturday that they believe the suspect is also homeless.

"I think we're looking at people that are just isolated, and he's trying to find some property of value, possibly money," LAPD Capt. William Hayes told reporters Monday.

Detectives are trying to determine if the incidents are linked.