Neighbors are upset after a beloved postal carrier was viciously beaten by a suspect while delivering mail in a Gardena neighborhood.
The brutal assault was captured on surveillance cameras as the victim, Bruce Jennings, had just finished delivering mail to a home located near Hoover and 172nd Streets.
As he walked out of the driveway and toward the street, suddenly the male suspect, John Ross, 39, who appeared to be waiting, began yelling at Jennings.
The victim continued walking away until the suspect suddenly punched Jennings in the back of the head, causing the mailman to drop all the envelopes he was holding.
“He said something to the mailman as he was coming by,” said a witness who did not wish to be identified. “The mailman didn’t say anything. He tried to walk past him and the guy took a swing at the back of his head and attacked him from behind. Then it got into a little bit of a fight.”
Video captured Jennings attempting to defend himself from the attacker as the two got into a scuffle, at times both falling to the ground.
Residents were distraught to hear Jennings was assaulted. They said the suspect is well-known by neighbors for attacking people’s homes, stealing property and generally terrorizing the community.
“Our problem was that Bruce, who’s the nicest guy in the world, got sucker-punched,” said Carol Nishijima, a neighbor. “[The suspect] floored him and started whaling on him. We’ve been trying to get John Ross out of the neighborhood for quite a while now. He grew up here and he’s been breaking and entering into people’s homes since he was a youngster.”
The assault happened on Feb. 21 yet neighbors said no charges have been filed against Ross so far.
“It’s upsetting to see,” said Christine Cojulun, a neighbor. “It’s awful. It’s terrible.”
Cojulun believes justice would be served if federal charges were pressed against the suspect and measures were taken so that Jennings felt he could be safe from violence in the future.
Residents said Ross no longer has family living in Gardena, yet he continues hanging around and terrorizing the community.
Video from Cojulun’s home shows Ross allegedly breaking into her backyard in January.
“He was stealing some of our patio furniture and after that, we found out that he was squatting in an empty house [in the neighborhood],” Cojulun said.
The owner of the empty house eventually changed the locks and installed security cameras throughout the home. Footage from the cameras caught Ross allegedly breaking into the home on several occasions.
On March 3, Ross was caught by authorities allegedly breaking into yet another home in Gardena. He was arrested and is being held without bail. A court hearing has been scheduled for March 19.
Neighbors told KTLA they hope charges will be filed and that the suspect can finally face consequences.
The incident involving Jennings remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. KTLA has reached out to the Postal Inspection Service for comment on the case and is awaiting a response.