Police Arrest, Identify Suspect in San Diego Homeless Attacks

San Diego, CA — A suspect has been arrested in connection with a series of violent and deadly attacks on four homeless people this week in San Diego, police said.

Anthony Alexander Padgett, 36, was taken into custody by members of the San Diego Police Department at around 10 a.m. Thursday in the area of Broadway and H Street in Chula Vista, San Diego police Capt. David Nisleit told reporters at a press conference.

"Information we received directed us to Mr. Padgett," Nisleit said.

Two people were killed in the attacks that began Sunday. The victims, three of whom were attacked in their sleep, were all subject to assaults of their upper bodies, and two victims were set on fire.

"We have probable cause to arrest Mr. Padgett for these heinous crimes," Nisleit said. "... This arrest comes with our main priority of protecting the public, as we have always said in this investigation. We are doing this to prevent another possible case."

The confirmation of Padgett's arrest came about two hours after NBC7 San Diego reported that a suspect was in custody.

Police said Thursday that their suspect in the attacks likely used public transportation, and said trolley and bus stops throughout the region were being patrolled. The area where Padgett was arrested was near the H Street trolley station in Chula Vista.

Nisleit said Padgett, who was born in Chula Vista and has a criminal history, had yet to be booked into jail but would be booked on suspicion of murdering transients Angelo De Nardo, 53, and Shawn Mitchell Longley, 41, as well as for the alleged brutal assaults of Manual Nunez Mason, 61, and the fourth victim, a 23-year-old man.

"We don't believe there are other suspects in these crimes," Nisleit said.

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Although Padgett is in custody and off the streets, the investigation is far from over.

"We are still in the very early stages of this investigation," Nisleit said. "...We have a lot of work to be done."

Nisleit said several search warrants were served prior to Padgett's arrest, but would not elaborate on when or where. He did say some homeless encampments were searched.

"We take every single murder seriously and when you have a series of murders we take that seriously," Nisleit said. "We need to make sure this is a safe city and we take this seriously."