‘Homeless maniac’ arrested after four are battered to death with metal bar in New York ‘is violent thug, 24, with history of random attacks’
THE alleged maniac arrested after four homeless men were bludgeoned to death as they slept on New York’s streets is a violent thug with a history of random attacks, it was reported last night.
Accused serial killer Rodriguez “Randy” Santos, 24, bashed in his victims’ skulls with a scavenged metal bar during a senseless predawn murder spree on Saturday, police believe.
Santos, who is reportedly homeless himself, is said to have approached his first two unsuspecting victims just before 2am.
He then allegedly smashed their heads in with the 15lb three-foot long piece of metal and left them for dead in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
One shocked police source told The New York Post: “They were sleeping. They never saw it coming.”
The killer stalked for more victims and quickly attacked three more men sleeping around the corner – hitting them, too, in their heads.
The police source added: “He just walked up to them and pummelled them.”
CCTV FOOTAGE
At least one of the attacks was captured on surveillance video.
Additional footage from moments after the final attacks apparently shows Santos looking up and down the street he headed north with his yard-length weapon, the source said.
They added: “The way he was walking, it looked like he was looking for more victims.”
Police were alerted by a 911 call and caught up with Santos soon afterward at Mulberry and Canal streets.
He still held the heavy metal bar slung over his shoulder, cops said.
Santos allegedly told responding officers that he “found” the blood-streaked weapon, the source said.
FIVE MEN ATTACKED
In all, police said Santos had struck five homeless men – one of whom was in his 80s – as they slept on the otherwise desolate sidewalks of Chinatown on the first chilly night of autumn.
Only one — a 49-year-old man who’d been struck on the Bowery — survived.
He was rushed to hospital in critical condition – with police hoping to question him as soon as his health allowed.
The victims were described by police as non-violent and known to frequent the Chinatown area.
None of their identities were released by last night.
That man should not have been on the streets
Police source
Santos was last night moved from a holding cell to a hospital after acting “not 100 percent there” and exposing himself, a police source said.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Santos lived with family in The Bronx area of New York as a teenager.
But in recent years he began showing up at homeless shelters – and has allegedly been involved in a flurry of violent crimes.
He has 14 past arrests – four of them from the past year, the police source said.
Another law enforcement source said: “That man should not have been on the streets.”
‘HISTORY OF VIOLENCE’
In November last year, Santos allegedly grabbed a man by the neck and bit down on his chest, a high-ranking law enforcement source said.
That same month, Santos allegedly punched a random subway commuter after screaming: “We need to stop it!”
Most recently, Santos was arrested for allegedly striking another homeless man in the shelter where police sources say he lived most recently.
His weapon was alleged to be a metal bar.
In March, he allegedly groped a 19-year-old woman and in February, he was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, The Post reported.
He has sealed assault and resisting arrest cases from late 2017 and early 2018, police sources said.
‘VIOLENT CRACK ADDICT’
Rough sleepers alleged yesterday that Santos was a violent crack addict and alcoholic who was often picking fights.
One man, named only as Abraham, said: “Oh he’s crazy – he’s a crackhead. He got violent with me a long time ago.
“He’s very violent. I don’t like him. He’s gone after people in here.”
Distraught friends of the victims also told of their shock.
Simba Bossir, 59, who knew one of the dead, said through tears yesterday: “I was on the bench with him last night.
“This morning I came back, they told me he was killed. He was my friend. It hurts.”
Michael Baldassano, the chief of Manhattan South detectives said the attacks did not appear to be planned.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
He said: “The motive appears to be, right now, just random attacks.
“No one was targeted by race, age, anything of that nature.”
The Coalition of the Homeless put the number of people in the city’s shelters at 61,674, which includes 21,802 children.
It was estimated in January this year there are around 3,588 people sleeping rough on the streets.
Parts of this article originally appeared on The New York Post
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.