Slasher terrorizes South L.A. from the seat of his bike

The Los Angeles Police Department released new photos of a man wanted in a series of slashing attacks around South L.A. and southeast Los Angeles County.

The number of the slasher’s victims has grown to six in the last two weeks, according to police. In the latest incident, a man riding a mountain bike approached another man and slashed his face with some type of sharp object, police said. The attack occurred around 8:40 a.m. Monday near Florence Avenue and Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles.

The suspect continued north on his bike on Avalon Boulevard and slashed a woman near 59th Place and Avalon at about 8:55 a.m., severely injuring the left side of her face and ear.

The two victims were transported to local hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Los Angeles police said the same cyclist rode past a man and slashed him with a sharp object March 20 at 59th Street and Avalon Boulevard.

One week later, police said, he slashed a woman in the face in front of a bakery on Firestone Boulevard near Hunt Avenue in South Gate around 11:10 a.m. Earlier that same Wednesday, another woman and a man in Lynwood were attacked and suffered superficial lacerations to their faces, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Paul Patterson said.

“For no reason at all, he would strike the victims across the face holding something sharp in his hand,” Patterson said. “Then he would ride away.”

The first two attacks occurred just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. A man was slashed in the face near California Avenue and Imperial Highway in Lynwood. A woman was attacked less than a mile away, at Abbott Road and San Luis Avenue, Patterson said.

Police describe the man as an 18- to 30-year-old Latino with short hair who weighs about 150 pounds and stands about 5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

The suspect was wearing a dark-colored T-shirt and dark pants. He was last seen riding a black and green mountain bike westbound on Slauson Avenue from Main Street, police said.

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@jpanzar