Five people have been arrested for the alleged murder of a 51-year-old man who was beaten to death with a skateboard and rocks.
The victim and the suspects are homeless people who lived in camps along the railroad tracks between the water treatment plant and the Beach Boardwalk (see photo gallery).
The murder took place Friday night, before 11 p.m. and police have been investigating without a break since then. They were called by a person who heard the struggle, which was not far from the new Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center and the soccer fields of Depot Park.
Arrested were Jeremiah Long, 26; Shaelyn Gonzales, 21, Michael Hudson, 41, Tina Anderson, 43 and Jason Welland, 31.
The victim's relatives haven't been found so his name isn't being released. A man camped near where the homicide occurred said he thought it was a man known as Charlie, a veteran, he said, who was divorced and recently homeless.
Police are investigating the motive for the attack. Deputy Chief Steve Clark said the weapons included a skateboard and rocks.
This is the city's third murder this year. The other two include Shannon Collins, who was stabbed to death by a transient while walking on Broadway just before noon on May 7, and Joey Mendoza, 13, who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting August 8.
