Searchers looking for a murder suspect in the January stabbing death of a man in a Southern California motel room spread out into the Hollywood Hills early Tuesday before descending on the Walk of Fame and nearby streets.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement personnel gathered Tuesday morning near the Hollywood Bowl to begin the search for 54-year-old Oscar Bridges. He is wanted in the Jan. 23 stabbing death of 21-year-old Robert Brewer, of Texas, at a motel in the 10400 block of South Vermont Avenue.
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Bridges, also known as "Rick," has been seen around motels in the Hollywood and West Hollywood areas, according to investigators.
"He's a registered sex offender, and we have information that the suspect befriends young boys, ages 16 to 25," said LAPD Lt. Holly Francisco.
Police, including deputies on horseback, fanned out Tuesday over a large area of the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park areas, including the Greek Theater and Runyon Canyon Park. Other law enforcement agents visited nearby motels and businesses.
Aerial video showed patrol vehicles on several streets in Hollywoood and a canine team on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Streets near Las Palmas and Franklin Avenue were blocked at mid-day after a report of a sighting of the suspect.
Court records show the suspect is a registered sex offender with a victim younger than 14. He also has an arrest for evading police in Santa Monica and state and federal tax liens totalling several thousands of dollars.
