A racist attacker seen in newly released video repeatedly stabbing a stranger on a Los Angeles Metro bus — then kicking him in the head after he collapsed — was sentenced Thursday to life in prison.
Gerald Pitts, 67, of Santa Monica, received the sentence for the attempted murder of Santos Tejas Gonzalez in what prosecutors called a vicious, unprovoked hate crime on March 25, 2023.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office released the previously unseen footage Thursday, offering a disturbing look at the bus attack that nearly killed Gonzalez.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez boarded the Metro bus around 9 p.m. and attempted to pass Pitts to find a seat when Pitts suddenly began shouting racial slurs at him.
Gonzalez did not engage with Pitts and instead tried to get off the bus at the next stop, near Western Avenue and Exposition Boulevard.
As Gonzalez tried to leave, Pitts drew a knife and stabbed him repeatedly, striking him in the abdomen, arm, hand and face, according to prosecutors.
The violence did not stop after Gonzalez fell from the bus.
Prosecutors said Pitts continued yelling racial slurs as he repeatedly kicked the wounded victim in the head.
Gonzalez survived despite suffering life-threatening injuries.
“A hate crime is more than just a criminal act against one person, it tears at the fibers that hold our community together,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
“These crimes are meant to intimidate entire communities and weaken the trust that holds us together.”
A jury convicted Pitts on June 16 of attempted murder.
Jurors also found the attack was committed willfully, deliberately and with premeditation.
They further found Pitts personally used a knife, personally inflicted great bodily injury, and committed the crime because of the victim’s actual or perceived nationality, race or ethnicity, making it a hate crime.
Hochman said Pitts attacked “a complete stranger because of his race or perceived race,” repeatedly stabbing him before continuing the assault after the victim had already fallen from the bus.
“We’re grateful the victim survived and relieved that he is continuing to recover,” Hochman said. “This kind of violence is exactly what hate crime laws are meant to address.”
The district attorney vowed his office would aggressively prosecute bias-driven violence.
“Public safety depends not only on enforcing the law but on refusing to tolerate bias-driven violence in any form,” Hochman said. “This office will not tolerate hate incidents and crimes in our communities and will respond with the full force of the law.”
Hochman also thanked Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Illions and the Los Angeles Police Department for their work on the case.
“When someone commits a calculated act of violence fueled by hatred, our responsibility is to protect the public, seek justice for victims and ensure the law is fully enforced,” Hochman said. “We will continue to stand with every community targeted by hate and pursue these cases with the seriousness they deserve.
The Downtown Santa Monica station opened in May 2016 as part of the Metro E Line expansion.
Since its debut, many residents have been furious, arguing that the end-of-the-line terminal acts as a direct corridor for homelessness and crime to enter the coastal city unchecked.
