Los Angeles: A homeless man died after being doused with gasoline and set on fire on a street where he had lived for many years and was a familiar face to residents of Koreatown, police and local merchants said.

Police were called to Third Street west of downtown Thursday evening and found the man, who was pronounced dead at a hospital.

A man in his 20s was seen throwing gasoline on the man, chasing him, throwing more on him and running from the scene, said Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz yesterday. Scorch marks stained a wall yesterday where the man was burned.

The burning horrified even officers who routinely witness violent crimes, Diaz said.

"To murder somebody who s probably suffering from mental illness issues and not bothering anyone - just a poor wretch on the street - you ve got to be a soulless nitwit to do something like this," he said.

The victim remained unidentified, and coroner s investigators might have to rely on fingerprints, Diaz said. Investigators canvassed the neighbourhood yesterday looking for evidence, witnesses and information about the victim.

Shopkeepers said the man was a fixture in the dense residential neighbourhood at the northern edge of Koreatown, and residents were shocked to hear about his violent death.

Every day, the man drank a Dr Pepper soda, ate a bag of chips and smoked cigarettes, said Young Kim, who owns a nearby dry cleaner.

The homeless man had been in the area for at least 20 years but never bothered anyone or begged for money, Kim said. People gave him food, clothes and spare change.
Source : PTI