Victor Scott was 38 years old when he died on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, in Hawthorne. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after being stabbed near 11901 Crenshaw Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a short entry drawn from coroner's records, describing him as "a 38-year-old Black male" who "died Tuesday, Sept. 21, after being stabbed near 11901 Crenshaw Blvd. in Hawthorne." A news story distributed by City News Service and published in the Daily Breeze added more detail. It reported that he "was found stabbed to death inside a transit bus in Hawthorne." According to the story, he was found at about 2:41 p.m.
that Tuesday "suffering from multiple stab wounds to his upper body in the 11900 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard near Holly Park," citing Deputy Morgan Arteaga of the Sheriff's Department's Information Bureau.
The story said that the Sheriff's Department was assisting the Hawthorne Police Department with the investigation, and that Victor Scott, "whose city of residence was unknown, died at the scene." It closed with a line that has not been followed by any public update: "No arrests have been reported."
That account leaves a great deal unsaid. It does not say whether the bus was in service and carrying passengers, whether it was parked, or whether he was a rider, a driver or someone who had taken shelter inside. It does not describe a suspect, a motive or an argument, and it does not say whether anyone on or near the bus saw what happened. A stabbing on a bus in the middle of a weekday afternoon may well have been seen by someone.
No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for him could be found for this story. Victor Scott is a common name, and searches turn up many other men who share it, including a professional baseball player, a college basketball player and people in other states, none of whom can be connected to this death.
Hawthorne is a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, south of Inglewood and east of the beach cities. It is a dense, working-class community of apartments and small homes, crossed by busy commercial corridors, and it is home to an airport and a number of aerospace businesses. Crenshaw Boulevard is one of the longest and busiest streets in the region, carrying heavy bus traffic through Hawthorne on its way south toward Torrance.
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 Victor Scott could be found in news archives or public records. More than four years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who rode a bus along Crenshaw Boulevard in Hawthorne on the afternoon of September 21, 2021, or who knew a 38-year-old man named Victor Scott, 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 contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
