Man beaten by mob dies from injuries

OAKLAND -- A man severely beaten by a group of people in East Oakland in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 28 has died from his injuries, police said Monday.

An autopsy Monday confirmed that Rudolph Johnson, 50, died Friday from the beating. So far this year, 101 people have been slain in Oakland.

Sgt. Lou Cruz said Johnson was attacked about 3:30 a.m. Aug. 28 at the intersection of 57th Avenue and International Boulevard by several people who beat him with blunt objects and their fists, then kicked him when he fell.

Cruz, who is investigating the case with Sgt. James Morris, said Johnson was the target and robbery has been ruled out as a motive. But he does not know yet what the motive was.

Johnson lived about a mile away on Bromley Avenue, but frequented the area where the attack happened. Why he was there at 3:30 a.m. is not known.

Johnson was on life support at a local hospital since the attack.

After "hoping for a turnaround that just didn't happen," family members and doctors mutually decided to remove him Friday from the equipment.