His car was set on fire while he slept inside. Authorities offer $50,000 reward to identify his killers
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Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information that helps identify the people who deliberately set fire to 50-year-old Clay Buchanan’s vehicle while he was sleeping inside.
Buchanan, known as tio to friends, had been living in a blue Ford SUV for about four months before he was killed during the early morning hours of Aug. 8, 2023. The killing remains unsolved.
Buchanan was inside his car, parked in the 400 block of East 102nd Street in South Los Angeles, when a vehicle pulled up behind him, according to police. The suspects exited the vehicle and threw an unknown accelerant onto Buchanan and his SUV, according to authorities. The suspects lighted Buchanan on fire before retreating to their vehicle and fleeing, police said.
It is unclear from police statements whether Buchanan remained inside the vehicle during the attack, if the car doors were unlocked, or the windows were rolled down. Police have not released the number of suspects involved.
Buchanan suffered third-degree burns and was pronounced dead hours after being transported to a hospital, police said.
When Johnny Wactor found people trying to steal his catalytic converter last May, one thief yelled ‘No!’ before his companion opened fire, a detective testified.
Buchanan, who used a wheelchair to get around, required a heart transplant after contracting COVID twice. A longtime friend, Maria Carrera, told The Times in 2023 that Buchanan was previously living with a niece in Riverside County. Carrera said Buchanan purchased his SUV while he looked for a permanent home.
He celebrated his 50th birthday two weeks prior to his killing.
The city of Los Angeles offered the $50,000 reward to anyone with information that can lead to the identity and arrest of the people responsible for Buchanan’s death.
“The objective is to not only solve this murder, but to provide the family of Clay Buchanan with some sense of justice,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release Wednesday. “And to send a message that the community will not tolerate such senseless acts of violence.”
Anyone with information can contact Detectives B. Smith or G. Stearns from LAPD’s Homicide Division at (213) 486-6890 or (877) 527-3247. For calls during non-business hours or on weekends, (877) 527-3247. Anonymous tips can be submitted at www.lacrimestoppers.org or by calling (800) 222-8477.
