Downtown Los Angeles

Homeless Man Accused of Pushing Pedestrian into Street Found Incompetent

All of the attacks appeared to be random and unprovoked, prosecutors said.

A transient accused of attacking three people in downtown Los Angeles -- including a man who was pushed in front of a moving truck -- has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

Criminal proceedings against Garrett Joseph Boldt, 42, had been suspended since last April while a decision was made about his competency.

Boldt is accused of pushing a passing pedestrian Dec. 5, 2018, into traffic on West Sixth Street near Broadway, where the man was struck by a box truck and suffered serious injuries. The crime was caught on video, police and prosecutors said. The defendant also allegedly took a bracelet the man dropped when he was pushed.

The suspect who pushed a man in front of a box truck pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder and three felony counts of assault in unrelated cases.

He was arrested later that afternoon, after he allegedly punched a woman at a bus stop at West First and South Hill streets. A day earlier, he allegedly tackled a woman to the ground at West Seventh and Hill streets.

All of the attacks appeared to be random and unprovoked, prosecutors said.

If he is subsequently found competent to stand trial, Boldt could face up to life in state prison if convicted of one count each of attempted murder and petty theft, along with three counts of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and an allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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