Police are searching for a man who set a unhoused man on fire in Santa Monica.
The man was asleep in Ozone Park, a small strip of green space near the Venice border, about 11:35 p.m. Saturday when he was doused with an “unknown liquid” and lit on fire, according to the department’s Lt. Rudy Flores.
He was taken to a hospital with burns to about half of his body. He was treated for the burns and a two-inch laceration on the top of his head that was “from possible blunt force trauma.”
SMPD detectives identified a man in the area at the time of the attempted homicide and were seeking him for questioning, Flores said.
The suspect was described as 5 feet 6 to 8 inches tall with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a hat, long-sleeved white shirt and dark shorts.
Anyone with information was asked to contact SMPD Criminal Investigations Division Detective Tavera at 310-458-2256 or the watch commander at 310-458-8427.
