The Los Angeles Police Department on Friday stepped up its efforts to find the person who stabbed three transients while they slept and left behind signed "death warrants."
Detectives said the attacks, none fatal, all occurred this month and involved middle-aged homeless people who were stabbed in the back.
Police released a photo of a man they described as a person of interest in the case. Based on the "death warrant" notes, officials Thursday called him David Ben Keyes, who they said has been missing for weeks from the Santa Barbara area. On Friday, they said his real name was Courtney Anthony Robinson.
At the Union Rescue Mission homeless shelter in downtown L.A., workers handed out bottles of cold water — along with a verbal warning.
With no Internet access or newspaper subscriptions, the only way for the city's homeless to get the information is by word of mouth.
"We just let them know that they can stay with us, and verbally warn them about what's going on in the news," said Kitty Walker-Davis, the shelter's spokeswoman.
Officers in the central city area have begun to circulate a photo of Robinson among the homeless and are urging them to seek shelter, said LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eisenman. Police have also increased nighttime patrols and directed social services agencies to brace for an influx of the homeless.
The Union Rescue Mission, one of the city's largest nonprofit homeless shelters with 800 beds, has posted warning fliers around its building and announced the news about the stabbings at three daily lunches.
The nearby Midnight Mission was also preparing to accommodate more overnight sleepers.
Peter Griffith, communications director for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said he's encouraging everyone to be more cautious.
"Not everybody takes the offer of shelter, so it's good to be in groups and stay in places that are well-lit. Report anything that's suspicious," Griffith said.
The first attack was reported July 3 when a 56-year-old man was found bleeding with a large "hunting type" knife protruding from his back near 3rd and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles, according to law enforcement sources.
On Tuesday, another man was stabbed in a similar manner as he slept on a Santa Monica bus bench near the Third Street Promenade, officials said. And on Thursday, a 54-year-old woman was stabbed as she slept near La Brea and De Longpre avenues in Hollywood.
At each of the scenes, police said they recovered rambling typewritten "death warrants."
Police said they have no motive for the attacks but believe the same person is responsible for all three assaults.
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Detectives said the attacks, none fatal, all occurred this month and involved middle-aged homeless people who were stabbed in the back.
Police released a photo of a man they described as a person of interest in the case. Based on the "death warrant" notes, officials Thursday called him David Ben Keyes, who they said has been missing for weeks from the Santa Barbara area. On Friday, they said his real name was Courtney Anthony Robinson.
At the Union Rescue Mission homeless shelter in downtown L.A., workers handed out bottles of cold water — along with a verbal warning.
With no Internet access or newspaper subscriptions, the only way for the city's homeless to get the information is by word of mouth.
"We just let them know that they can stay with us, and verbally warn them about what's going on in the news," said Kitty Walker-Davis, the shelter's spokeswoman.
Officers in the central city area have begun to circulate a photo of Robinson among the homeless and are urging them to seek shelter, said LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eisenman. Police have also increased nighttime patrols and directed social services agencies to brace for an influx of the homeless.
The Union Rescue Mission, one of the city's largest nonprofit homeless shelters with 800 beds, has posted warning fliers around its building and announced the news about the stabbings at three daily lunches.
The nearby Midnight Mission was also preparing to accommodate more overnight sleepers.
Peter Griffith, communications director for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said he's encouraging everyone to be more cautious.
"Not everybody takes the offer of shelter, so it's good to be in groups and stay in places that are well-lit. Report anything that's suspicious," Griffith said.
The first attack was reported July 3 when a 56-year-old man was found bleeding with a large "hunting type" knife protruding from his back near 3rd and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles, according to law enforcement sources.
On Tuesday, another man was stabbed in a similar manner as he slept on a Santa Monica bus bench near the Third Street Promenade, officials said. And on Thursday, a 54-year-old woman was stabbed as she slept near La Brea and De Longpre avenues in Hollywood.
At each of the scenes, police said they recovered rambling typewritten "death warrants."
Police said they have no motive for the attacks but believe the same person is responsible for all three assaults.
[email protected]
[email protected]