Omar Tassi was 50 years old, according to the coroner's record, when he died on Thursday, March 8, 2001, in Wilmington. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 1040 Lagoon Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It described him as "a 50-year-old white male" who "died Thursday, March 8, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Wilmington." It did not say whether the address on Lagoon Avenue was his home or simply the place where he was found, and it did not say whether detectives had identified anyone responsible. No follow-up news story appears to have been published.
A genealogy record on the AncientFaces website appears to refer to him. It lists an "Omar Tassi of San Pedro, Los Angeles County, CA" who "was born on January 28, 1952," and says he "died at age 49 years old on March 7, 2001." The date is one day earlier than the date in the coroner's record and the age is one year lower, but San Pedro lies right next to Wilmington, and the name is rare in Southern California. The difference in dates may reflect the day he was hurt rather than the day he died, though the record does not say so. If it is him, he had lived in the harbor area. The record contains no account of his life or of how he died.
Beyond that, almost nothing about Omar Tassi has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found, and no news outlet appears to have reported on his death. Other people named Omar Tassi who turned up in searches, in Argentina and Italy, cannot be tied to him.
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.
Wilmington is a working harbor community in the southern part of the city of Los Angeles, between Carson and the Port of Los Angeles. Much of its landscape is shaped by the port, with shipping terminals, rail yards and oil refineries close to its homes. It is also home to the Banning Museum, the restored 19th century house of Phineas Banning, the businessman often credited with developing the harbor. The LAPD's Harbor Division covers Wilmington along with San Pedro and Harbor City.
Homicides in Los Angeles rose sharply in the early 2000s, climbing past 600 in 2002, and detectives carried heavy caseloads. Many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Omar Tassi could be found in news archives or public records. More than 24 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived near Lagoon Avenue in Wilmington, or who knew Omar Tassi in San Pedro, in March 2001 may hold information that could help. 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 call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
