Man Arrested For Fatally Beating Elderly Woman With Electric Scooter

Source: MARK RALSTON / Getty

Man Arrested After Beating A Woman With An Electric Scooter

A man in California was arrested and charged in the murder of an elderly woman after he allegedly beat her to death with an electric scooter, according to reports from KTLA.

27-year-old Amad Rashad Redding was indicted on Wednesday on one count of murder in the death of 63-year-old Rosa Elena Hernandez.

Authorities say that Redding approached Hernandez in Long Beach on Monday afternoon, knocking her to the ground and then proceeding to stomp on the woman’s head. When a bystander tried to help, that is when Redding reportedly took an electric Bird scooter and bludgeoned her to death. Officers who responded to the horrific incident found significant injuries to Hernandez’ upper torso and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police don’t believe that Redding actually knew his victim prior to this incident, and prosecutors described him as a transient who “randomly attacked” Hernandez. One resident did tell the station, however, that she had seen Redding in the neighborhood before. “I’ve seen him, he walks around, I’ve seen him walk around a few times by our house actually,” said Misty Velasco.

Hernandez was a local babysitter who had lived in Long Beach for almost 40 years. “She knew everybody in the community, she would walk around, talk to all the Latinas and Latinos who lived in the neighborhood,” Dennis Fitzgerald said. “She did not drive, so she just walked every place.”

Redding fled following Monday’s assault but was found about four hours later inside of a business, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was previously arrested back in February for allegedly setting a fire inside his family’s home in Louisiana, as reported by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal.

Redding is currently being held on a $2 million bond and faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life in jail if convicted.