Murder Suspect Snared in Attack on Police Decoy

A police detective acting as a decoy on Thursday shot and then apprehended a 20-year-old man in Pacoima who police said is the prime suspect in two recent bludgeon murders and an attempted murder, all of which occurred at night along a darkened stretch of San Fernando Road in Pacoima.

Los Angeles police said the unarmed suspect, Kenneth F. Williams, stalked and then took a swing at Detective Frank DeCesare, who ducked Williams’ punch and fired two shots, wounding Williams in the shoulder.

Williams, whose address is unknown, was booked in the jail ward at County-USC Medical Center on suspicion of attempted murder for the attack on the police officer, Lt. Charles Higbie said. His condition was described as stable.

The 12:15 a.m. attack occurred within 30 feet of where Samuel Alcantor, 46, of San Fernando, the first of three bludgeon-attack victims, was found unconscious and bleeding from head wounds in a vacant lot on April 14, Higbie said.

Alcantor never regained consciousness and died 11 days later at Holy Cross Hospital.

Higbie said that, although Williams has only been booked for Thursday’s attack, he is a “prime suspect” in Alcantor’s murder, in the April 25 murder of 24-year-old Ignacio Peregrino and in the April 27 attempted murder of Pedro Carrillo, 37.

All three victims were robbed, police said. The men were attacked in a commercial neighborhood that is largely deserted at night, police said.

Detective Allan Michelena said the badly beaten body of Peregrino, whom he described as a transient, was found in bushes near railroad tracks at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Van Nuys Boulevard.

Carrillo, whose address was not available, was robbed, beaten with an unidentified weapon and left for dead, Higbie said. He said Carrillo remains hospitalized but would not say where for security reasons.

Higbie said that, in an attempt to capture the murderer with a decoy, the neighborhood was staked out Wednesday night with officers from a major crime task force for the San Fernando Valley.

He said the 47-year-old DeCesare, dressed in street clothes, was walking along San Fernando Road when other officers backing him up observed a man stalking DeCesare from the other side of the roadway.

The suspect climbed down into the Pacoima Wash, crossed beneath San Fernando Road, rushed at DeCesare and swung at him with what appeared to be a black object, Higbie said.

DeCesare fired two rounds from his service revolver, hitting Williams with one bullet, Higbie said.

The dark object that DeCesare had believed to be a weapon “was later determined to be a black leather glove worn only on the suspect’s left hand,” Higbie said.