Man beaten to death in likely ‘random’ hammer attack is identified as newcomer to Costa Mesa
A tow truck operator removes a blood-stained vehicle after a man was found dead in the 2300 block of Vanguard Way in Costa Mesa on Wednesday. A nearby resident said she saw a man swinging a tool into a car from outside of it and then saw the man removing what looked like “a bloody body” from the car.
A Costa Mesa man who police say was beaten to death with a hammer-hatchet outside a condominium complex was identified Thursday.
Kyle Boyd Avila, 53, was found dead when police responded to a report of an assault at about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday in a parking area next to the Monticello complex in the 2300 block of Vanguard Way, across from Vanguard University, Costa Mesa police Lt. Paul Beckman said.
An officer saw a man later identified as Ivan Chernev Dimov, 51, of Costa Mesa near the body, Beckman said.
According to police, Dimov tried to flee but the officer ran him down and used a Taser to subdue him.
Dimov was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into Orange County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
Beckman said Avila was in a Toyota Scion when he was beaten by a man standing outside the car. Officers found a weapon in the vehicle that might have been used in the assault, Beckman said.
Investigators have not determined a motive for the crime or found any links between Avila and Dimov, Beckman said Thursday. He said Avila had just moved to the area in the past few days.
Based on information investigators have gathered, the attack was probably “random,” Beckman said.
Nearby resident Christine Sta. Ana said Wednesday that she was at her window at home when she heard yelling coming from the parking area.
“I saw a man swinging a tool into a car from outside of it,” she said. “I thought he was trying to break a window at first.”
Sta. Ana said she called police when she saw the man removing what looked like “a bloody body” from the car.
Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
