LA homeless serial killer suspect had just got $700k settlement from Santa Monica after suffering serious injuries when beach patrol officer ran him over during fire – and ‘used some of cash to buy murder weapon and getaway car’
The suspect accused of shooting four random strangers in Central LA last week may have paid for his murderous spree with a $700,000 settlement from local police, authorities have revealed.
Jerrid Powell has been charged with the murders of four men, three of whom were homeless, between November 26 and 29.
The 33-year-old allegedly stalked his homeless victims as they slept on the street, and followed father-of-two Nicholas Simbolon, 42, to his home in San Dimas before shooting him in his garage.
Now it has emerged that he may have paid for his car and guns with money he received from the city of Santa Monica after a police officer ran him over while he was on the beach in 2019.
“The City settled the negligence lawsuit after a Santa Monica Port Authority officer, after responding to a call about a fire on the beach, rolled over the plaintiff who was lying in a six to eight inch deep ditch in the sand, a city spokesperson confirmed in a statement.
Jerrid Powell appeared in Los Angeles Supreme Court on Monday for a hearing
Powell, 33, was arrested in Beverly Hills just hours after police released security footage
LA Police Chief Michel Moore, who announced Powell's arrest, was also responsible for overhauling the city's fleet of beach vehicles after the suspect won a $700,000 payout
Police arrested Powell in Beverly Hills on Thursday after spotting his BMW, which was captured on camera near the scene of Simbolon's murder on Tuesday.
Police suspect he followed the LA County project manager from an electric vehicle charging station in West Covina and “senselessly” shot him at his home 15 miles away before he could get out of his Tesla.
Simbolon's wife found his body and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
A gun found in Powell's car was found to match the gun used in the killings of the three homeless men, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said.
Powell was described as “cruel” after he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in San Bernadino County in 2018, for which he was sentenced to three years of probation.
In May 2019, LAPD announced that they had overhauled their fleet of beach vehicles after a separate incident in which they ran over a woman on a beach.
A 36-year-old named 'Aurora' spent three days in hospital with broken ribs after she was run over by a 'big police truck' while lying on the sand of Venice Beach on Easter Sunday.
“In response to the incident, Chief Michel Moore directed the immediate request for new vehicles and vehicle safety improvements in preparation for Memorial Day Weekend,” the LAPD said in a statement at the time.
Powell filed a negligence lawsuit in 2020 before the city reached an agreement on his settlement earlier this year.
He had already tried to sue a landlord for $3.3 million in 2019 with a handwritten lawsuit claiming he was the victim of intentional emotional harm and sexual harassment, before a judge dismissed the case.
Jose Bolanos, 37, was found shot to death in a South LA alley around 3 a.m. on November 26.
Mark Diggs, 62, was shot dead downtown at 5 a.m. the next day while pushing a shopping cart.
And a 52-year-old homeless man whose name has not yet been released was shot around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 29 in the Lincoln Heights area.
Powell appeared in court Monday for a hearing in which he was charged with four counts of murder, one count of home invasion and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He has not entered a plea and is due back in court on January 8.
LAPD officers knocked another beachgoer onto the sand around the time Powell was hit
Powell is charged with four counts of murder, one count of home invasion and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. He will appear in court again on January 8.
His BMW was caught on camera near the scene of one of the murders
Mark Diggs, 62, was shot and killed downtown at 5 a.m. on Nov. 27 while pushing a shopping cart
Police believe the same person is responsible for all four killi
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna defended the use of the controversial license plate reader, which was challenged by civil liberties groups but identified Powell's car.
“We know there is controversy over the use of this system, but let me tell our community something,” he said at a news conference after the arrest.
“If we hadn't put that sign into the system, this person, who we believe is responsible for at least four murders, would have walked around there and been offended again.
“The next goal is to at least lock this man up forever because he doesn't deserve to be on the street.”