LAPD finds sucker-punch suspect already in custody in county jail

A man whom Los Angeles police said they were looking for earlier this week was arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies and has been in custody for more than a month, authorities said Friday.

Dale Shoner, 43, was taken into custody in West Hollywood on suspicion of robbery, criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon in October, the sheriff’s department said.

The LAPD initially said Shoner, suspected of assaulting a pedestrian in an unprovoked attack that was caught on video, was arrested by officers Thursday.

The attack occurred about 8 a.m. Oct. 20, when the pedestrian and the suspect crossed paths in the 800 block of North La Brea Avenue, police said.

Deputies arrested Shoner a couple hours after the pedestrian attack because he committed a similar assault in the West Hollywood area, the sheriff’s department said. When police circulated a video of the assault, sheriff’s deputies realized the man they arrested was likely the same person, authorities said.

In the video posted by the police Wednesday, a man holding a backpack gets into a position to strike the pedestrian, then backs away. The pedestrian continues walking, with the man with the backpack following closely behind. Moments later, the man swings his backpack at the pedestrian’s face, knocking him to the ground. The man with the backpack then walks away.

Police said the pedestrian sustained serious injuries.

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Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

11:50 a.m.: This article was updated with new information from the sheriff’s department.

This article was originally published at 8:30 a.m.