51-year-old man dead following Sunday incident
By Sam Catanzaro
A man has been arrested for murder following an altercation at the homeless encampment next to the West Los Angeles VA over the weekend that left one dead and another injured.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide division, the incident occurred Sunday, March 4 around 12:05 a.m., on the 11600 block of San Vicente Boulevard, at the encampment occupying federal land adjacent to Brentwood.
The suspect, 34-year-old Pedro Flores, and the victims were involved in a verbal argument prior to the incident, according to the LASD.
“The suspect then got into his vehicle and deliberately used his vehicle to assault both victims, leaving one of them dead,” LASD said. “During the course of the incident, one of the victims was dragged for over 200 yards and sustained fatal injuries.”
The deceased victim was a 51-year-old white man. The other victim, a 36-year-old Hispanic man, was transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers located the suspect Flores in his vehicle a few blocks away, initiated a pursuit and a short time later took him into custody. He was booked for murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Flores is being held on a $2 million bail and will appear in court Tuesday.
The LASD said in a press release that “the suspect and victims are all transients that live at the Federal Enclave adjacent to the Veterans Administration at the location.”
There is no additional information available at this time, the LASD said.
According to the Brentwood Community Council (BCC), if the death is determined to be a homicide it would be the first in Brentwood in recent memory.
“This episode crystalizes the BCC’s longstanding position that allowing the homeless encampment to remain in place is neither a safe nor humane solution to the problem of homelessness in our community. Over the next several weeks we will release additional information on BCC’s efforts to force our political leaders to resolve this crisis,” the BCC wrote in an email newsletter following the incident.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
