Police ask for public help identifying suspect in 2 assaults Thursday in Anaheim
After a violent attack at a public library in Anaheim, police said they've learned that the same unidentified suspect had committed another crime just a few hours earlier.
Thursday, authorities released video of the Anaheim Library clerk being knocked out by the suspect near the check out counter.
As the images were put on TV and social media, detectives were notified by a Target employee that they recognized him as a suspect in another attack.
"A very astute loss prevention agent at Target recognized this subject and it turns out that the exact same subject assaulted someone exactly two hours before this incident occurred here at the library in a very similar manner," Sgt. Jacob Gallacher, of the Anaheim Police Department, said.
The Target assault was around 4:30 in the afternoon on March 3. The video shows the suspect push a customer near the cash registers and then chase him for a few seconds.
Police said that two hours later, the suspect, who they've been trying to identify, was at the Central Library on West Broadway, a mile and a half away. Without provocation, according to officials, the man shoved the library clerk with such force that the victim's head slammed on to the tile floor, knocking him unconscious.
"Ya, this is extremely concerning to us, that someone is attacking people unprovoked for no reason. We're not quite sure what is going on here, if there's a mental health issue or if there's some other issue going on, but that's why it's very important that we arrest him and take him into custody," Sgt. Gallacher said.
Police said the video at the library shows the man carrying several bags containing clothing and that he might be a transient.
The injured library employee has been with the city for five years, and Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster shared with CBSLA how the man is doing.
"Given everything he's been through, and nobody should go through what he's been through, given all that, he is doing very well. He is generally fine. he is back to work. He loves serving our community just as everybody here at the library does and he's happy to be back to work."
Police have scoured the list of homeless people that they know who spend time in Anaheim and, so far, have been unable to come up with a possible suspect, which is why they released the new footage, in hopes that the public might be able to help identify the man.
