JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 36-year-old man was beaten to death on Christmas Eve by a masked man with a pogo stick in a laundromat on Jacksonville's Southside.
Roderick Stephon Hines Jr. was found with a severe head injury in the Coin Laundry at Beach Boulevard near Cortez Road just before 7 a.m. Dec. 24.
Police said a man found Hines bleeding and called police.
The officer who responded said Hines repeatedly said he couldn't breathe and that his chest hurt. He could not provide a description of the person who attacked him.
Hines was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The police report indicated the man who attacked Hines was captured on surveillance video and was wearing all black clothing and a green ski mask.
The owner of Coin Laundry played News4Jax the surveillance video, which clearly shows Hines being violently beaten by the masked man wielding the pogo stick.
Police have not been able to identify the attacker.
The manager of nearby Beach Food Store said his business also recorded video of the suspect, showing the man holding the pogo stick as he walked toward the laundromat. He said the video showed the masked man walking back two minutes later before going out of the frame.
The incident report said officers searched the area for the pogo stick but couldn't find it.
Police said Hines' injuries did not appear life-threatening at the time, which is why they had not provided any details of the case until Wednesday -- when News4Jax requested the incident report after seeing Hines' name added to the JSO homicide database.
"It is so sad," said Fares Mshabeh, manager of Beach Food Store. "Usually, it’s a quiet place. It’s my first time I’ve seen anything happen like this."
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.