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Homeless man assaults victim at a bus stop in San Luis Obispo, arrested

November 18, 2025

Robert Torres

By KAREN VELIE

A 45-year-old homeless man beat a victim with a four-foot metal pipe in an unprovoked attack at a bus stop in San Luis Obispo on Saturday morning.

Shortly before 8 a.m., Robert Torres attacked a 57-year-old man at the transit center on Palm and Osos streets. When Torres attempted to hit the man a third time, the victim got away and crossed the street.

The suspect then fled the area on a San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA) bus.

San Luis Obispo police officers, working with RTA, discovered that the suspect got off the bus in Pismo Beach. Investigators contacted area police departments were contacted and provided the description of the suspect.

A Grover Beach Police Department detained Torres. SLO police officers arrested Torres on a charge of felony assault with a deadly weapon and booked him in the SLO County Jail, where he remains held without bail.

“Many thanks to RTA and Grover Beach Police Department for their help with this arrest,” police said.

 


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The issue is not whether he is homeless or not. He is a violent, unpredictable, dangerous person who committed an assault on an innocent person. Get him off the street, no bail, and incarcerated. Most likely he’ll end up at ASH where it costs $240,000.00 per year to house a person. No matter what taxpayers get screwed.


14

This shit needs to stop. These are not homeless they are abusers of drugs that have dropped out of society and should be removed from all social services, removed from our streets and placed in labor camps until clean and able.


20

Yes, great idea. Do exactly like the great Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Arpaio—tent cities in rural areas where there is no access to drugs. Dry them out, clean them up. When ready, release them with the implicit rule; they will be back if they relapse.


9

Keep tolerating these junkies at our peril.


19

It’s not really fun to go into SLO anymore. I remember it was before 2000s, but too many homeless now. The city just seems to let them do whatever they want. The number of stolen shopping carts in people’s possessions on downtown sidewalks and everywhere all over town kind of gives off the “we don’t care at all” vibe.


The city needs to address smaller problem behaviors such as stolen shopping carts (how about some tickets given out?) or things just kind of get worse because the we don’t care attitude.


39

“The number of stolen shopping carts in people’s possessions on downtown sidewalks” Absolute complete and utter nonsense. I am downtown all the time… I perhaps see one or two people with shopping carts, usually over by the 7-11 but not all over downtown sidewalks. It’s pretty clear that people who make negative comments like this about downtown rarely go there. Downtown is generally bustling with shoppers, tourists, diners, and people enjoying themselves. This constant doom and gloom is just not based on reality.


-40

Tell that to the man that was beaten with a pipe little girl.

There is no place in society for self induced sociopaths. If you beleive different take them into your home.


17

I live downtown. This comment is completely fabricated nonsense. You don’t like SLO? Cool. Don’t come.


-27

Isn’t this article about how SLO PD worked with several other agencies to hold a criminal accountable. The opposite of letting people who are homeless do whatever they want?


If the objective is to prevent all crime from ever happening it’s 1. Impossible in a free country and 2. Would require significantly more taxes which I suspect many here would refuse to even consider.


-6

What kind of a maniac smiles in a police mug shot?


25

Again, I believe that we should reduce the use of the term “Homeless”. Let’s save the term for those who are trying to get ahead. A series of decisions have been made by some of these Bums where they choose drugs and to live in the creek or under bridges.


59

Funny how little this was a problem before the “war on drug” started. How is that doing, by the way? How long do you continue with the same policies that aren’t working at all and try something different?


-25

Yes, I’m sure the war on drugs caused it not the bleeding hearts that said its disease, they can’t help it, they’re a victim common man get a clue.


12

Yeah, no homeless problem in downtown SLO


59