A suspect has been arrested after a woman was brutally beaten with a sledgehammer on a college campus in California on Christmas Eve, authorities said.
The victim, described only as an Asian woman aged between 60-65, was collecting recyclables on the El Camino College campus in Torrance on Sunday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. She was taken to a local hospital but subsequently died on Christmas Day as a result of her injuries.
Officers located and arrested the suspect, 40-year-old Jeffery Davis, close to the campus. Police say no other suspects are believed to be outstanding in the case and no one else was injured in the incident.
According to ABC 7, police had recognized Davis on security camera footage after having previous run-ins with him. The outlet added that authorities believe Davis is homeless and that he was detained in a park near the campus.
Police have not released a potential motive for the attack, and it remains unclear if the victim and suspect were known to each other. El Camino College would not confirm to the Los Angeles Times if either Davis or the woman were students.
Most students at the community college were away from campus on a winter recess when the deadly assault took place.