Tomas Chocoj was 45 years old when he died on Monday, February 4, 2013, in Bell, a small city in southeast Los Angeles County. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma near Flora Avenue and Live Oak Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report lists it as a Maywood police case.
The Times listed him as a Latino man. Beyond his name, his age and the place where he died, almost nothing about Tomas Chocoj has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. Chocoj is an uncommon surname in Southern California, and searches turn up only a few scattered social media comments and public records about other men with the same name, none of them clearly connected to Bell.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was beaten in a fight, attacked by a stranger, assaulted indoors or on the street, or struck by a vehicle, all of which can lead to a finding of blunt force trauma. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
The location in the coroner's record is an intersection rather than a street address, which suggests that he may have been found outdoors, on a sidewalk or in the street, rather than inside a home. That is an inference only, and the record does not say whether he lived or worked nearby.
Bell is one of a cluster of small, densely populated cities along the Los Angeles River and the Long Beach Freeway, including Maywood, Cudahy and Huntington Park. The area is mostly working class, with small houses, apartment buildings, auto shops and corner businesses packed closely together, and many residents walk or take the bus. Bell drew national attention in 2010 when its city officials were charged in a salary scandal, but daily life in its neighborhoods revolves around families, work and small local businesses. Because the cities sit side by side, a death near a boundary street can end up listed under a neighboring agency, which may explain why this case was recorded under Maywood. People who live or work around Flora Avenue and Live Oak Street may have seen or heard something in early February 2013 without realizing that it mattered.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Tomas Chocoj could be found in news archives or public records. More than 12 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near Flora Avenue and Live Oak Street in Bell in early February 2013, or who knew Tomas Chocoj and saw him in the days before he died, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact local law enforcement, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
