Douglas Rae Barnes

Douglas Rae Barnes was 57 years old when he died on Saturday, May 16, 2020, in Venice. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after being stabbed near 1217 Ocean Front Walk. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Bureau Homicide unit.

The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 57-year-old white male" who "died Saturday, May 16, after being stabbed near 1217 Ocean Front Walk in Venice." A few days later, MyNewsLA.com reported that authorities had identified "a man who was fatally stabbed on the Venice boardwalk over the weekend by a bicycle-riding assailant, who remains at large." That report gave his age as 54, which differs from the coroner's figure used by the Times.

According to MyNewsLA.com, he "was attacked about 8:50 p.m. Saturday near Westminster Avenue and Ocean Front Walk." The report said he "died at a hospital, according to the coroner's office," and that his "home town was not known." The Los Angeles Police Department reported that he "was stabbed during a dispute with an unidentified suspect who fled on a bicycle." No description of the suspect was released, and the report urged anyone with information to call 877-LAPD-247.

That is where the public record stops. No later story could be found describing what the dispute was about, whether the two men knew each other, or whether police ever identified the person on the bicycle. It is not known where Douglas Barnes lived, how long he had been in Venice, or what brought him to the boardwalk that evening. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for him could be found for this story, and searches for his name turn up only other men named Douglas Barnes in other states.

The attack came in mid-May 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, when daily life across Los Angeles had been upended by public health orders.

Venice is a beachside neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, famous for its boardwalk, canals, street performers, Muscle Beach and the skate park near the sand. Ocean Front Walk is the paved promenade that runs along the beach, lined with shops, cafes, vendors and apartment buildings, and it draws crowds from around the world. Westminster Avenue is one of the short streets that meet the boardwalk. Even at night, the area is rarely empty, and someone may have seen a man ride away on a bicycle.

Los Angeles recorded about 260 homicides a year in 2018 and 2019, among the lowest yearly totals in more than half a century, yet many of those killings still went unsolved.

No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Douglas Rae Barnes could be found in news archives or public records. More than five years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on or near Ocean Front Walk and Westminster Avenue in Venice on the evening of May 16, 2020, or who knew Douglas Barnes, may hold information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.