John Louis Vasquez was 27 years old when he died early on Saturday, May 24, 2014, on a street in Lennox. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report listed his death as a stabbing, and the Daily Breeze reported that he was "found stabbed to death," but the coroner's records cited by the Times said he died from being pinned under a car in the 4800 block of West 104th Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
The Times laid out a confusing sequence of events, citing Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff's Department. Vasquez "was involved in a fight with two other men about 2:40 a.m. when he was knocked to the ground and the other men ran away," the Times wrote. Then "a four-door, dark-colored sedan traveling west on West 104th Street struck Vasquez, pinning him underneath the car," Hernandez said.
He was pronounced dead at 3:15 a.m., according to coroner's records.
The Daily Breeze, in a City News Service report, identified him as a resident of Torrance. A witness told the news service that "the victim apparently was lying in the street when a car ran him over." He was lodged under the vehicle for a while before firefighters could free him, the witness said. The Times added that detectives were "attempting to determine whether Vasquez was the aggressor in the fight."
Much about the case remains unclear. The published accounts do not explain how he came to be stabbed, if he was, or whether the two men who ran away had a weapon. They also do not say whether the driver of the sedan stopped, whether that driver was connected to the fight, or whether the car simply came upon a man lying in the dark street. The record does not say why the death was ruled a homicide rather than an accident, which suggests investigators believed the fight played a direct part in it. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for him could be found, and John Vasquez is a common name shared by many other men.
Lennox is a small unincorporated community in southwestern Los Angeles County, just east of Los Angeles International Airport and directly beneath its flight path. It is densely built, with small houses and apartment buildings on narrow residential streets, and it is patrolled by the Sheriff's Department. Torrance, where Vasquez lived, is a larger city a few miles to the south.
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 John Louis Vasquez could be found in news archives or public records. More than 11 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on West 104th Street in Lennox around 2:40 a.m. on May 24, 2014, who saw the fight, or who knows who was driving a dark four-door sedan west on that street, may know something 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.
