LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County judge sentenced Gerald Pitts to life plus seven years in state prison, with the possibility of parole, for the attempted murder of Santos Tejas Gonzalez during a racially motivated stabbing aboard a Metro bus in March 2023.
Jurors convicted Pitts on June 16 of attempted murder and found the attack was willful, deliberate and premeditated. They also found true allegations that he personally used a knife, inflicted great bodily injury and targeted the victim because of his actual or perceived race, nationality or ethnicity, making the assault a hate crime.
Quick Fact Checklist
- Defendant: Gerald Pitts
- Sentence: Life plus seven years in state prison
- Conviction: Attempted murder with hate crime enhancement
- Victim: Santos Tejas Gonzalez
- Attack Date: March 25, 2023
- Location: Metro bus near Western Avenue and Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles
- Weapon: Knife
- Injuries: Multiple stab wounds; victim survived
- Prosecuting Agency: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
According to prosecutors, Gonzalez boarded a Metro bus on March 25, 2023, and tried to walk past Pitts to find a seat. Pitts allegedly began shouting racial slurs.
When Gonzalez exited the bus to avoid further confrontation, Pitts followed and repeatedly stabbed him in the abdomen, arm, hand and face before kicking him in the head as he lay on the ground. Gonzalez survived despite suffering life-threatening injuries.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said hate crimes threaten entire communities and vowed his office will continue aggressively prosecuting bias-motivated violence.