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“Appetite For Destruction”
Given the choice, Antron Singleton’s last walk as a free man would not have been butt-naked down Figueroa Street in South Central.
The man formerly known as West Coast rapper Big Lurch, flying high on PCP, was en route from West 107th Street to 109th Street. The three-block stroll, neither lengthy nor scenic, showcased a man in a state of shock.
At slightly past 2 p.m. on April 10, 2003, he lumbered down the steps of a two-story apartment complex at 10728 Figueroa Street and headed south. Staring blankly toward the sky, he trudged past Gil’s Liquor, a concrete shoebox plastered with Hennessy ads and signs boasting $7.99 Tecate 12-packs. His unusual journey would end a block later, near a spare-car-parts shop.
Officer Melvin Hernandez and his partner were coasting on 108th Street toward Figueroa in their black-and-white LAPD prowler. As they approached the intersection, the officers were startled by Singleton, completely naked, on the right-hand curb. A woman in a nearby vehicle honked her horn and gestured frantically toward him. Hernandez, then a six-year veteran who had spent time in South Central’s drug-heavy 77th Precinct, had tangled with enough PCP users to know one in sight. The officers swung a sharp left and called in a Code 6 (“out of car on investigation”).
Dried blood was visible on Lurch’s hands, chest and face. Bits of flesh clung to his mouth and goatee. Backup arrived within minutes and a bristle of service pistols and beanbag shotguns were pointed at him. Without protesting or asking any questions, lurch was soon handcuffed, lying facedown on the warm asphalt. As Singleton was ushered into a police car, a hysterical woman—later identified as a friend of the victim—rushed to the cops. “He killed her,” she screamed. “He killed her.”
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