A man offered to pay for an alleged shoplifter’s stolen goods. Then he was attacked with a hatchet

When the shopper saw a homeless man trying to steal food from a 7-Eleven, police say, he offered to pay for the items.

Moments later, the man attacked the customer with a double-edged hatchet, authorities said, crushing part of his skull and severely lacerating his hand.

Dramatic surveillance footage captured the attack, which occurred early Saturday morning outside a 7-Eleven in West Hollywood.

On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it had located the attacker.

Kisu Brown was taken into custody just after 9:30 p.m. near Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, the Sheriff’s Department said. Brown, a 41-year-old transient known to frequent Hollywood and West Hollywood, is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

The attack occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday outside a 7-Eleven in West Hollywood, when the shopper saw Brown trying to steal food and offered to pay for the items, deputies said.

But Brown became upset and refused the offer. A brief struggle ensued between the pair in the store, located in the 7900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard.

Brown then left, and the victim walked out the door behind him, deputies said. In seconds, authorities said, Brown pulled out a small, double-edged hatchet concealed in his clothing and struck the victim, knocking him to the ground.

Deputies said Brown hit the man’s head with the hatchet several times before walking off and fleeing north on Hayworth Avenue.

A part of the victim’s skull was crushed, and his hand was severely lacerated. The victim was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

“What you think you’re doing is a nice and generous thing, and somebody just takes it out on you like this. [It’s] incomprehensible,” Sgt. Jeff Bishop said. “Very unfortunate.”

Brown has prior convictions, including assault with a deadly weapon, Bishop said.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

UPDATES:

Sept. 6, 9:05 a.m.: This article was updated with Brown’s arrest on Tuesday night.

This article was originally published at 6:20 p.m. Sept. 5.