A man is being sought for allegedly violently attacking an elderly man in Whittier before going into another nearby home and fatally stabbing another elderly victim and stealing his car, officials said Wednesday.
The first elderly man was found stabbed to death in a home in the 15300 block of Goodhue Street in South Whittier around 3 p.m. Tuesday.
An investigation revealed the man had been killed about 24 hours earlier and the suspect drove off in his 2021 Silver RAV 4, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
The vehicle was tracked to Ontario and was eventually found abandoned in Chino the next morning.
Investigators learned that the same man entered a home in Whittier just two blocks away from the fatal scene minutes before the homicide and violently assaulted another elderly man, Luna said.
In that incident, the victim’s son intervened and the man got away.
In both attacks the man entered through an unlocked door, Luna said.
The suspect, who is possibly homeless, is described as having a dark complexion, short black hair and facial hair. He is about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs around 150 pounds and has a thin build. He was last seen wearing dark pants and a tan-colored shirt.
Authorities on Wednesday released surveillance videos of the suspect running away from one of the homes.
They also released the license plate number of the stabbing victim’s vehicle — 8VPH289 — in hopes of tracking the killer’s movements.
Luna called the attacks “disturbing” and said the public is at risk while the assailant is on the loose.
“We’re very concerned, the investigators are extremely concerned about the public safety risk that this individual posed to our community and that’s why we consider him a public safety threat at this point,” he said.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the incidents is asked to call LASD’s homicide bureau at 323-890-5500.