SUSPICIOUS

Body Found Under Santa Monica Pier May Be Linked to Other LA Attacks

Authorities believe Steven Cruze Jr. was beaten to death.

A 39-year-old man was found dead under the Santa Monica Pier Thursday, and investigators are now probing whether his death is connected to three attacks on homeless men in downtown Los Angeles, NBC4 reports. Steven Cruze Jr. was found by city maintenance workers around 6:30 a.m., and it appeared that he had been “beaten on the head with a blunt instrument.” A family friend told the news station that Cruze “worked on fishing boats and often napped in his hammock under the pier.” In the three other attacks, the victims were assaulted on Sunday with a baseball bat as they slept. Two of the victims died of their injuries, while the third man remains in critical condition.