Detectives asked the public for help Thursday in identifying a Los Angeles Metro bus rider suspected of slashing another man’s face with a box cutter before exiting the bus and running away.
The two men were involved in a verbal exchange as they boarded the bus about 6:15 a.m. on May 13, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
At some point during the exchange, one of the men took out what witnesses described as a box cutter and slashed the victim’s face several times, the Sheriff’s Department stated.
The attacker then ran off the bus at Crenshaw Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue (map) in Gardena, according to the news release.
The victim suffered multiple lacerations to his face and was likely to need reconstructive surgery, the doctors who treated him told investigators.
Cameras aboard the bus and from a local business captured images of the man wanted by authorities, however they have been unable to identify him, the Sheriff’s Department stated.
“This is of great concern to us as this person attacked the victim when he did not pose a threat to him. He (the suspect) indeed poses a threat to the community and needs to be taken into custody,” Detective Tom Inocente stated in the news release.
The attacker was described as a 28- to 34-year-old black man with black hair and brown eyes, standing about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds.
He was said to frequent the area where the crime occurred and should be considered armed and dangerous, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Anyone coming in contact with the man should not approach him, but instead contact Detective Inocente or Detective Sgt. Paul Valle at 888-950-SAFE(7233).
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477).