San Diego Police (SDPD) are searching for a suspect who beat a black man in a Logan Heights alley, reportedly yelling racial slurs as he beat him, police said.
The beaten, being investigated as a hate crime, happened on the 2200 block of Imperial Avenue just after 5 p.m. Saturday evening, police said.
The suspect walked up to the victim and said something about not liking black people before he started hitting him with his fists, police said.
The 56-year-old victim fell to the ground, and the suspect continued to beat him with his foot, police said.
When he finished, the suspect walked away, police said. He was seen heading northbound on the 100 block of 24th Street.
Then, as the victim was recovering, the suspect returned and started to hit him again - this time, using a bamboo stick to beat him on his head and body.
The suspect is described darker skinned, 5-foot 5 to 5-foot 8, clean shaven and wearing a blue hat, blue T-shirt, blue shorts and low top shoes. He has 2 tattoos on both calves (possibly an S and D).
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The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The victim's girlfriend, Lorraine Prenters, told NBC 7 she did not know why anyone would want to do such a thing to her boyfriend.
“He’s a good person, and he doesn’t bother anybody,” Prenters said. “I don’t know how this happened where someone wants to beat him for no reason.”
She said her boyfriend, Kevin, visited the area to spend time with friends or go to the store. Then, he would return home.
“He don’t bother nobody, he’s not out here fighting,” she said.
Kevin is not a violent person, she said.
“He never hit me ever, even if we argue, he’ll walk away, he’ll leave,” she said. “So he’s not really violent at all.”
Prenters said she hopes police find the man responsible, and urged anyone with information to call authorities.
“I don’t understand who would do that to him,” Prenters cried. “For someone to do this to him, they must just be evil...I just hope that police find him, and that my baby will be okay."
San Diego Police Central Division Detectives are investigating.
