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Juveniles beat elderly man for cans, then came back and beat him more
| Monday, Jun 16 2008 5:27 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jun 17 2008 7:27 AM
Five juveniles savagely attacked an 81-year-old man in an east Bakersfield alley over the weekend — and then came back and beat him some more.
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Ezequiel J. Perez, 81, was beaten to death. (Photo courtesy of Perez family)
Ezequiel J. Perez collected cans as a hobby and brought in $85 a week, his family said. (Photo courtesy of Perez family)
Ezequiel Jimenez Perez died on Sunday as a result of head injuries suffered in the Saturday morning attack, according to the coroner’s office. There were at least two separate beatings, police said.
Police Detective Blaine Craig said robbery was the motive, but he’s not sure why Perez was singled out.
“(Perez) may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Craig said.
The juveniles stole some aluminum cans and a shopping cart from Perez. All of the juveniles were in custody at Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder, robbery and conspiracy. Police would not identify the juveniles or even say how old they are.
Perez and another man were scavenging for aluminum cans in an east Bakersfield alley in the 1200 block of Niles Street, not far from where Perez lived. The other man survived the attack.
Both Craig and Sheriff’s Lt. Ed Komin said such incidents are rare. Komin couldn’t recall any specific cases where a person was mugged for aluminum cans, but he said the fact that a man in his 80s was attacked by juveniles wasn’t particularly surprising.
“It’s fairly common for young males to victimize weak people,” he said.
Another robbery where aluminum cans were stolen happened in early June, Craig said. Someone was arrested in that case and there is no connection to Saturday’s beating.
It’s too early to know whether the District Attorney’s office will charge the suspects as adults. Prosecutor Michael J. Vendrasco said they’re looking into it.
“With a crime of this magnitude and viciousness, we always look for adult charges,” Vendrasco said.
How easy that might be depends on how old the juveniles are. If they are 16 or older, prosecutors can directly file adult charges against them, Deputy District Attorney Craig Smith said. If they’re under 16, the charges must be filed in juvenile court and a judge will make a determination as to whether the crime is serious enough to charge them as adults.
If they are not tried as adults, juveniles convicted of murder charges can only be held until 25 years old.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 327-7111.