A racist knifeman caught on newly released video repeatedly stabbing a stranger aboard a Los Angeles Metro bus, then kicking him in the head after he collapsed, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison.
Gerald Pitts, 67, of Santa Monica, was sentenced for the attempted murder of Santos Tejas Gonzalez during what prosecutors described as a brutal, unprovoked hate crime on March 25, 2023.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released the never-before-seen footage Thursday, showing the shocking attack that nearly killed Gonzalez.
According to prosecutors, Gonzalez boarded a Metro bus at about 9 p.m. and tried to walk past Pitts to take a seat when Pitts immediately began shouting racial slurs.
Rather than confront him, Gonzalez tried to leave the bus at the next stop at Western Avenue and Exposition Boulevard.
That’s when Pitts pulled out a knife and stabbed Gonzalez multiple times in the abdomen, arm, hand and face.
Even after Gonzalez fell from the bus, the attack continued.
Prosecutors said Pitts repeatedly kicked the wounded man in the head while continuing to yell racial slurs.
Gonzalez survived despite suffering life-threatening injuries.
“A hate crime is more than just a criminal act against one person, it tears at the fibers that hold our community together,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
“These crimes are meant to intimidate entire communities and weaken the trust that holds us together.”
A jury convicted Pitts on June 16 of attempted murder.
Jurors also found the attack was committed willfully, deliberately and with premeditation.
They further found Pitts personally used a knife, personally inflicted great bodily injury, and committed the crime because of the victim’s actual or perceived nationality, race or ethnicity, making it a hate crime.
Hochman said Pitts attacked “a complete stranger because of his race or perceived race,” repeatedly stabbing him before continuing the assault after the victim had already fallen from the bus.
“We’re grateful the victim survived and relieved that he is continuing to recover,” Hochman said. “This kind of violence is exactly what hate crime laws are meant to address.”
The district attorney vowed his office would aggressively prosecute bias-driven violence.
“Public safety depends not only on enforcing the law but on refusing to tolerate bias-driven violence in any form,” Hochman said. “This office will not tolerate hate incidents and crimes in our communities and will respond with the full force of the law.”
Hochman also thanked Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Illions and the Los Angeles Police Department for their work on the case.
“When someone commits a calculated act of violence fueled by hatred, our responsibility is to protect the public, seek justice for victims and ensure the law is fully enforced,” Hochman said. “We will continue to stand with every community targeted by hate and pursue these cases with the seriousness they deserve.
The Downtown Santa Monica station opened in May 2016 as part of the Metro E Line expansion. Since its debut, many residents have been furious, arguing that the end-of-the-line terminal acts as a direct corridor for homelessness and crime to enter the coastal city unchecked.
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