Screams lead police to suspect in San Diego homeless attacks

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Screams lead police to suspect in San Diego homeless attacks

Julie Watson, Associated Press
Updated 7:50 pm, Friday, July 15, 2016

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Screams from a homeless man being attacked as he slept Friday led officers to capture the man responsible for a string of assaults that have terrorized San Diego's transient population, authorities say.

The arrest of Jon David Guerrero came five days after police released another man they had suspected in the attacks that left three homeless men dead and two critically injured, including the most recent victim. Two of them were set on fire. Police told reporters that they have no doubt they nabbed the right man.

Guerrero was arrested in the pre-dawn hours soon after a fifth transient was attacked under a freeway bridge. Two officers heard the 55-year-old man's screams and found him with severe trauma to his upper body — like the other four victims, Capt. David Nisleit said.

Police found Guerrero riding a bicycle nearby and uncovered physical evidence at the scene and at his downtown San Diego residence linking him to all the crimes, Nisleit said.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Person-detained-in-probe-of-San-Diego-homeless-8380235.php

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Suspect arrested in homeless killings after new attack

A man sleeping under I-5 in Golden Hill survived a fifth brutal assault

By Pauline Repard | 7:28 a.m. July 15, 2016 | Updated, 5:54 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — A 12-day police manhunt for a serial killer targeting homeless men across San Diego came to a dramatic end Thursday when a pair of officers in Golden Hill came across a fifth victim, who was screaming in pain, and an hour later a police dragnet snared a suspect.

The latest victim, a 55-year-old man who was sleeping near an Interstate 5 overpass at C Street, is expected to survive, police said.

San Diego police arrested Jon David Guerrero, 39, about three miles away on Laurel Street near Union Street, police Capt. David Nisleit said at an afternoon press conference. Guerrero faces three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of arson.

Court records show a history of arrests and mental competency hearings, including one judge's order that sent Guerrero to Patton State Hospital for psychiatric treatment.

More:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/15/homeless-attack-series-arrest/

[center]

[ailsagirl]

1. GOOD

I hope they throw the book at him.

[Warpy]

2. Apparently his family is well off

so this murderous POS has probably bought himself a ticket to a hospital for the cirminally insane rather than a ticket to prison.

His family has probably been screaming for help with him for years. Decades.

[glennward]

10. He's had several previous arrests. Why isn't he in jail? Where and when does 3-strikes count?

Obviously, since his parents are well-off he gets sent for mental observation and then released. Privilege again.

[cstanleytech]

3. I think given his history that he needs to be committed to a mental facility for life because

he is clearly to much of a danger to the public.

[840high]

5. .+1

[ReRe]

4. This is what I want to hear....

... that the police are doing. Chasing down some real perpetrators of crime. If his family was wealthy, I don't see why they couldn't have had him committed.
Bet they now wish they had.

[brer cat]

8. It is very hard if the person doesn't go voluntarily.

I think forced commitment is limited to a month.

[ReRe]

13. I see.

I don't agree with it, though. Seems like an excuse to not do the right thing, either for him or for the public.

[brer cat]

14. It is.

We have Ronald Reagan to thank for that.

[ReRe]

16. Oh yes. I remember when he did it...

... and here we are some 35-36 yrs later. Seems like it has become progressively worse as each year passed by. And now, we must mix in former Marines so twisted that they choose to go out in a blaze of glory by provoking policemen on our streets. This country is so psychologically effed up at this point. We don't even have names for the new mental illnesses that are being created out of all this layered madness we've been living through for so long.

[TexasBushwhacker]

15. It depends on the state

But the loophole is that most people consent to stay voluntarily before they have the commitment hearing. Then they can voluntarily leave.

[montana_hazeleyes]

6. I'm going to go ahead and say it.

This is EVIL. I don't give a flying damn if this guy has mental illness or not. I know people who have mental illness who would never do such horrific acts. I wonder, if he's so mentally ill, how did he know to terrorize the helpless? Why didn't he just attack anyone in sight. He planned this shit.

He knew what he was doing.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. Thank gawd they caught him

[brer cat]

9. There are people who consider the homeless,

minorities, etc to be sub-human and "theirs" to torment. I wonder if he started with animals?

I hope he is locked away for a very long time.

[glennward]

11. Another think I notice is that with all those cops around him...he is still alive.

I don't even have to go there...

[secondwind]

12. We need to update and expand our mental health services... we have a lousy mental health

program, and this reminds me of Adam Lanza's mother, who pleaded with the authorities for help for her and her son.. and she never got any.

Apparently, the criteria is very simple: as long as the person isn't a danger to himself or others, they do NOTHING.

[reddread]

17. seems strangely familiar