Suspect sought in burning of two victims at South L.A. homeless encampment

Los Angeles police are searching for a man who allegedly lit two people on fire at a South L.A. homeless encampment Thursday morning, officials said.

Detectives believe Phillip Darryl Cole approached the encampment at 83rd Street and Vermont Avenue around 6:40 a.m. on May 19, doused two people in a flammable liquid and then lit them on fire, according to an LAPD news release.

Both victims were seriously injured, police said.

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Investigators believe Cole is a transient who lives in the area where the attack took place. He has black hair and brown eyes and stands 5 feet and 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 260 pounds, according to police.

An LAPD spokesman could not comment on a motive in the attack or provide an update on the victims’ conditions.

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