Oceanside authorities are looking into recent attacks against homeless people in the city, including two deaths, after three incidents over the past month, the Police Department announced Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Although it is not known whether the incidents are related, the closeness in time and proximity has raised concern, the department stated in a news release.
The deaths occurred between Oct. 5 and 6, according to authorities. Officers found a 65-year-old man dead Oct. 5 when they were called to the scene at 4:44 p.m. near the railroad tracks at Coast Highway and Oceanside Boulevard. Then at 11:29 a.m. on Oct. 6, an officer was flagged down at the San Luis Rey River west of Interstate 5, where the officer found a 60-year-old man dead in the brush.
Both men appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma, Oceanside police stated.
On Sept. 18 at 4:17 a.m., officers responded to reports of a stabbing near Coast Highway and the San Luis Rey River. A 45-year-old man, who survived the attack, suffered several stab wounds and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
None of the victims had been identified as of Wednesday, Oct. 9.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Oceanside Police Chief Kedrick Sadler noted that the incidents happened within about a mile and a half of each other, and the department is boosting patrols.
“We’re going to have more officers out there on the street,” he said at the news conference. “We’re asking that the community join us in helping find who these people are.”
Officers from the department’s Homeless Outreach Team will be contacting individuals on foot in areas where the homeless frequent to advise them of the attacks and offer resources, authorities stated. Sadler also advised community members, including the homeless, to be on the lookout for threatening behavior.
“Be aware of your surroundings, trust your instincts, and if something doesn’t feel right, call the Oceanside Police Department,” he said.
Detectives from the department’s Crimes of Violence Unit are leading the investigation.
“There’s no information that would lead us to believe that these are hate-crime related, but … all options are on the table,” Sadler said at the news conference.
Police ask that people with possible information about the attacks to call Detective Sgt. David Estrada at 760-435-4698 or email DEstrada@oceansideca.org.
