Venice Hotel Owner Arrested on Murder Charge

The owner of a Venice hotel was in custody today in lieu of $5 million bail following the shooting death of a man in Venice Beach.

Los Angeles Police would not immediately confirm the name of the suspect arrested Sunday in connection with the shooting death of a homeless man on the Venice boardwalk. A spokesman said that the release of the man’s name or image by the department “could taint the investigation.” However, arrest records show the Venice business owner of property near the shooting, was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of murder and is being held on $5 million bail. Venice residents revealed he is restaurant and Cadillac Hotel owner Sris Sinnathamby, 54, an immigrant from Sri Lanka.

A hotel employee told Patch.com no one was available to comment on the shooting or the arrest.

Tension between the Venice business community and the local homeless community has been running high all year. So far this year, two homeless men have been fatally shot by police responding to disturbances at local businesses, and a homeless man was arrested for allegedly biting off the fingertip of a cafe owner, who tried to eject him.

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A suspect was arrested at 8:10 a.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The suspect was arrested “for his involvement in the murder,” the spokesman said.

Sinnathamby’s name was listed on the sheriff’s Inmate Information Center website.The suspect’s case could be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Tuesday, said LAPD spokesman Drake Madison. No other suspects are in custody, he said.

Paramedics were sent at 2:10 a.m. Sunday to Rose Avenue and Ocean Front Walk, Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Witnesses said someone fired several shots within a group of homeless people at the oceanfront park, a frequent sleeping place for those without shelter.

Jascent-Jamal Lee Warren, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Another man -- said to be in his 40s -- was shot in a leg, was treated at a local hospital and returned to Venice around noon, witnesses told CBS2.

According to CBS2, the owner of the Cadillac Hotel, situated near the shooting scene, reportedly suffered head injuries at the hands of some homeless men after the shooting. There was no immediate confirmation that it was Sinnathamby.

The victim was among a large crowd of people in front of the Cadillac Hotel when a fight broke out over who was camping where, according to witnesses who spoke off camera to television reporters.

Just after sunrise Sunday, Los Angeles police Sgt. Barry Montgomery told reporters “it appears now, at this time, that this incident was triggered by some sort of dispute among locals, which triggered this deadly attack.”

Police radio broadcasts said the shooter apparently left the scene in a black SUV, heading south on Speedway, the alley just inland from Ocean Front Walk.

Blood was steam-cleaned from the popular tourist attraction, which was reopened for public use before 8 a.m. Sunday.

Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide office at (213) 382-9470.

City News Service