74-year-old fatally beaten with baseball bat inside a Wal-Mart

A 74-year-old man was fatally beaten with a baseball bat Tuesday inside a Lakewood Wal-Mart in what authorities believe was an unprovoked attack by a homeless man.

The incident occurred in the sporting-goods section of a Wal-Mart on Carson Street in Lakewood.

A 47-year-old man was taken into custody by Los Angeles Sheriff's Department officials.

"Witnesses have drawn the conclusion that the suspect is homeless,'' Lt. Eddie Hernandez told City News Service. "We haven't confirmed that. ... The victim was in the sporting-goods section. The suspect approached him and started to attack him with a baseball bat, causing severe head trauma.''

Hernandez said the incident was caught on a security video.

The Wal-Mart was closed for hours as police investigated.

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— Andrew Blankstein (twitter.com/anblanx), Shelby Grad and Robert J. Lopez (twitter.com/LAJourno)

Photo: KTLA News