LONG BEACH, Calif. – A person of interest is in custody after a woman was beaten to death in Southern California with an electric scooter Monday afternoon.
The incident was reported about 12:30 p.m. in the 6400 block of Obispo Avenue in Long Beach, Shaunna Dandoy, a spokesperson for the Long Beach Police Department, told KTLA.
The victim was walking east toward Obsipo Avenue and 64th Street when a person, described only as a black male, began physically assaulting her.
A bystander tried to intervene when the assailant grabbed a scooter that was nearby and used it to continue attacking the victim, Dandoy said. Later, when asked about a possible good Samaritan, Sgt. John Magallanes said he had no information about that, and added, “no one else was involved in that altercation.”
The man then ran away from the scene and was last seen heading west. He was seen wearing a dark hoodie, dark pants and red shoes, and had facial hair, Magallanes said.
Long Beach firefighters responded and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. She has not been identified.
The person of interest was taken into custody “in the general area” about 5 p.m., Magallanes said. He did not elaborate on that person or if he matched the description of the assailant.
Homicide detectives are at the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The motive behind the attack is unknown, and police could not say if it was random.
Police representatives declined to identify the brand of scooter that was used in the attack, but e-scooter rental company Bird confirmed it was involved in the investigation.
“We are deeply saddened by this act of violence and our hearts and thoughts go out to the victim and her family,” spokesperson Rebecca Hahn said in an emailed statement. “We will work with local law enforcement to help with the investigation into this tragedy.”