Police have identified a suspect in the recent “serial” killings of three homeless men in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old individual, who matches the profile of the shooter, was already in custody for another killing earlier in the week during a robbery in an L.A. suburb.
The series of four killings occurred over four consecutive days, prompting officials to issue regional warnings to individuals living on the streets in Los Angeles. The city is grappling with a significant homelessness crisis.
On Friday, officials raised concerns about a “serial killer” targeting homeless individuals across a 12-mile stretch from South Los Angeles to the northern part of the city’s downtown. The suspect was described as a man seen driving a dark-colored sedan. homeless men in Los
It turned out the person they were seeking was already in custody, they said.
On Thursday, Beverly Hills police had arrested Jerrid Joseph Powell, of Los Angeles, during a traffic stop, officials said in a news conference Saturday evening. His physique and his dark-colored sedan matched descriptions of the suspect at all three homicide scenes, and the handgun police believe was used in the killings was recovered in his car, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore told reporters. Police have identified
Jerrid Joseph Powell is accused of killing three homeless men over four consecutive days, with the victims identified as Jose Bolanos, 37, Mark Diggs, 62, and an unnamed 52-year-old man. Bolanos was found dead near the intersection of 110th Street and Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles on Sunday. Diggs was shot and killed at about 4:45 a.m. on Monday at the 600 Block of Mateo Street, downtown near the L.A. River. The third victim, a 52-year-old man, was found dead around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday near Avenue 18 and Pasadena Avenue, just north of downtown.
On the Tuesday between the second and third homeless killings, Powell is alleged to have traveled to San Dimas, a suburb 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, where he killed a county employee during a home invasion. Powell is expected to face charges on Monday for the fatal shooting of Nicholas Simbolon, 42, a father of two.