LOS ANGELES, CA- A rampage of killings that primarily targeted homeless men in the Los Angeles area this week has led to the arrest of a suspect, police say.
The city was gripped as four people were shot to death in random killings, three of whom were homeless men, according to Los Angeles law enforcement officials.
The suspect, Jerrid Joseph Powell, was arrested in the killings of the three homeless men, or “unhoused” men, according to ABC News. The three homeless victims were shot as they slept alone on a sidewalk or an alley in the city, police said.
Powell was already in custody for the fourth murder that occurred in Los Angeles County and involved a “follow home” robbery, officials said.
The killings spanned four days from Nov. 26 through Nov. 29. The suspect was taken into custody on Nov. 30 in connection with the robbery-homicide that occurred the same date.
After the fourth killing, police officials said they were looking for a potential serial killer.
“Twenty-four hours ago, we announced there was a killer on the loose. Now he is in custody,” boasted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, seemingly taking credit for Powell's apprehension.
Powell’s car was identified as being at the scene of all three homicides of the homeless men, and a handgun recovered from his vehicle was “positively identified” as the murder weapon, according to LA Police Chief Michel Moore. The vehicle and the handgun were also tied into the home robbery shooting, police said.
The shootings started on Sunday, Nov. 26, when a 37-year-old man was killed at about 3 a.m., police said. The second victim, 62, was killed at about 4:55 a.m. the next day. The third, a 52-year-old man, was killed at around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
Chief Moore said a motive had yet to be established in the killings, telling the media the homeless men were murdered “without provocation.” Moreover, he told ABC News he doesn’t believe these killings were the first for Powell.
“I’m highly suspicious of that. I don’t see how, when you look at the sequence of accounts in four days, four individuals are brutally murdered and the manner in which they occurred. I’m highly suspicious that this did not just start Sunday morning, less than a week ago,” Moore told ABC News.
He continued it is possible Powell may have committed robberies, as he did in the San Dimas murder in LA County, or may have committed other crimes outside of the Los Angeles region since he was willing to travel as far as San Dimas, which is relatively distant from downtown LA.
The home robbery shooting occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Police said Powell followed the victim home from a charging station in West Covina to the victim’s San Dimas home.
“Upon taking the personal belongings, the suspect senselessly shot the victim and fled the crime scene,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release.
In that incident, the 42-year-old victim died from his injuries, according to the sheriff’s department. The victim, Nicholas Simbolon, was a father of two who worked for the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office as a project manatee in the IT department, police said.
The vehicle of interest, identified from surveillance footage in that case, was a 2024 gray BMW and was entered into the law enforcement database as a “Wanted, Armed and Dangerous” vehicle.
The suspect’s vehicle was flagged using (Automated Licence Plate Reader) ALPR technology, and after a traffic stop was initiated in Beverly Hills, he was taken into custody. He was booked on robbery and murder charges in that case and held on a $2.1 million bond.
“Had they not had access to those tools, this individual, I am convinced, would still be moving about the city, in the region, and killing individuals, innocent individuals, helpless individuals,” Moore said.
Moore referred to the ALPR system, which groups such as the ACLU and other privacy organizations have slammed as violating drivers' rights.
However, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook defended police use of the cameras. He noted that Powell’s vehicle was entered into a regional database. When his car was spotted using ALPR technology, police were able to respond to the area where the vehicle was spotted. In this case, police in the area spotted Powell, and he was arrested.
Police are investigating whether Powell was involved in any other crimes in the LA area.
Meanwhile, NBC Los Angeles reported that Powell had recently received a $700,000 settlement from the city over a personal injury claim. Powell received the settlement in June after he filed suit against the city for a 2019 incident where he was injured after being run over by a beach patrol vehicle.
A city spokesperson confirmed the settlement, saying, "... the city settled the lawsuit claiming negligence after a Santa Monica Harbor Services Officer, after responding to a call reporting a fire on the beach, rolled over the plaintiff who was laying in a six to eight-inch-deep ditch in the sand."
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna agreed with Moore’s assessment that this was likely not the first time Powell has engaged in violent crime, he told ABC News.
“Based on his criminal history, he didn’t just start doing this a week ago. So this is why we’re using you as a partner to make sure that with his picture and information, if, anybody believes that they may have been a victim of a crime. This individual perpetrated it, you need to contact us right away,” he told reporters.
“Because at the end of the day, we want to make sure that if he did commit other crimes, that he’s held accountable for each and every one of them,” Luna added.
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