False name on notes found at homeless stabbing crime scenes, LA police say

(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - A fake name was written on notes found at the scenes of this month's stabbings of three homeless people in the Los Angeles-area, police said Friday.

Los Angeles police Lt. Andy Neiman said Los Angeles and Santa Monica detectives discovered that "David Ben Keyes" is not the man's real name.

Police expect to release the man's real name and a recent photo of him with a beard shortly, Neiman said.

Police on Thursday appealed to the public to help find the man, who is considered a "person of interest" and is wanted for questioning. He is not a suspect at this time.

"We're not sure what his connection is," Neiman said.

The typewritten notes, labeled "death warrants," were left at the scenes of the stabbings, which occurred this month in Santa Monica, downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. Keyes' name appeared on all three notes, but police would not reveal the content of the notes.

Police believe the man could be homeless and may be from the Santa Barbara area, said police Commander Andrew Smith.

Two men and a woman, all in their 50s, survived the attacks, though one remains hospitalized. The victims were stabbed in the back as they slept, Smith said.

Police are warning homeless people to seek shelter at night and avoid sleeping alone in the streets.

The first stabbing was July 3 in downtown Los Angeles. It's the only one where a witness saw a suspect fleeing the scene, Smith said.

The second stabbing was Tuesday, when a man was attacked as he slept on a bench in Santa Monica. A passer-by heard the victim's cry for help and called police, Sgt. Richard Lewis said.

And Thursday's stabbing targeted a woman who was sleeping in the Hollywood area.