Police Search for Man Who’s Setting Homeless People on Fire

Police say Wednesday's victim suffered "significant injuries" to the upper body before being set on fire. The assault was discovered at about 5:10 AM near the federal courthouse, according to San Diego's NBC 7. The victim, an unidentified 23-year-old man, is reportedly in grave condition.

"These evil acts of violence are some of the worst I've seen in my 34 years in law enforcement," San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said at a Wednesday press conference.

Police are convinced the latest incident is connected to three other attacks on the homeless earlier in the week. In total two people died and two were seriously injured, reported the Los Angeles Times.

San Diego Police did not respond to Broadly's requests for comment.

Authorities say they are searching for a man recorded on store surveillance video near where the first homicide victim—53-year-old Angelo De Nardo—was found ablaze Sunday. The suspect purchased gasoline and a lighter shortly before De Nardo's body was found.

*UPDATE* HERE ARE LARGER ENHANCED PHOTOS OF THE HOMICIDE SUSPECT FROM OUR LATEST RELEASE. — San Diego Police (@SanDiegoPD)July 7, 2016

Attorney and criminologist Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, told Broadly that attacks on the homeless are significantly underreported.

"Many criminologists concur that the homeless should be covered by hate crime legislation," Levin said. "There is a class-based prejudice in the United States, and [these recent attacks] illustrate that. The homeless are not sheltered from the elements or malevolent assailants. They are attractive victims."

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) reports about 100 annual attacks on the homeless, with about 50 percent resulting in death.

The US Department of Justice and the FBI currently collect data on crimes motivated by race, religion, sexual preference, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and disability. The data serve many purposes including easing prosecution of such crimes. Only the NCH collects national data on the homeless.

NCH interim director Megan Hustings says most attacks on the homeless are perpetrated by young men who feel victimized or trapped in untenable situations and want to take their rage out on others.

She noted that many make sport of encouraging violence against and among the homeless. Her organization led efforts to end the sale of "Bum Fight" videos that show homeless people fighting each other. The violent videos are still available on the Internet.