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Man Beaten To Death With Hammer In His South LA Backyard, Transient Arrested

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A man was beaten to death with a hammer Wednesday night by a homeless suspect who he had allowed to live in the backyard of his South Los Angeles home, authorities said.

The violent murder occurred at about 6:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of West 98th Street, according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies responded to a report of a fight to find the victim with a head injury in the backyard of his home. He died at the scene, the sheriff's department reports. He was not immediately identified.

The male suspect was arrested a short distance away.

Deputies learned that the victim had allowed the suspect, who is homeless, to live in his backyard. The two got into an altercation and the suspect struck the victim in the head with a hammer and ran away, the sheriff's department said.

The suspect's name and the charges he faces were not immediately released. It's unclear what prompted the altercation.

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