HIGHLAND PARK : L.A. Offers $25,000 Reward in Beating Death of Man

Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Hernandez has announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the beating death of an 80-year-old man in Highland Park.

Sergio Hubasubo Gerolaga’s body was found at a Payless shoe store parking lot on Figueroa Street on the evening of Jan. 4, hours after he failed to report for work at the Highland Park Recreation Center.

Detectives believe that Gerolaga, who worked part time at the recreation center, may have been beaten in a robbery, perhaps for about $100 in his pocket.

“It’s the kind of crime that we don’t understand in a city like Los Angeles,” Hernandez told reporters at City Hall.

A co-worker last saw Gerolaga alive that afternoon, apparently after he became involved in a minor traffic accident at Avenue 60 and Echo Street, about five blocks from the store.

But Los Angeles police Detective Bob Lopez said investigators do not know if the accident and Gerolaga’s death are related.

According to authorities, Gerolaga was known for buying food for the homeless at a local park. The Filipino immigrant also held a part-time job at a Montgomery Ward department store.