Man Dies Two Weeks After Attack Near Petco Park

SAN DIEGO, CA – A 56-year-old man who was severely beaten near Petco Park two weeks ago died of his injuries, police reported Tuesday.

Edward Leon Starland was attacked about 2:10 p.m. Nov. 18 near the pedestrian bridge adjacent to Petco Park. Police and paramedics found the him unresponsive near the bridge and took him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday, San Diego police Lt. Matt Dobbs said.

Investigators determined the victim got into an argument with a group of teenagers and was knocked to the ground, then beaten, the lieutenant said. When witnesses started yelling at the attackers to stop, they fled east on Imperial Avenue, he said.

Shortly afterward, officers arrested 19-year-old Dominick Wells along with three girls, ages 14, 15, and 17, on suspicion of felony battery, Dobbs said.

Police presented the case to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and the investigation is ongoing, he said.

The D.A.'s office deferred a decision on the filing of any charges, and the case remains under review.

A check of jail records, meanwhile, showed Wells was not listed as an inmate at the San Diego Central Jail as of Tuesday morning.

Anyone with more information about the attack was asked to call police at 619-531-2293 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers' anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock