LA's Most Wanted: $50,000 reward in death of Louie Rodriguez

Louie Rodriguez was a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy. He had developed coronary problems, but by the night of Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014, much of that was behind him.

With the help of a motorized scooter and accompanied by his dog Hopper, Rodriguez attended the annual Sunset Strip Music Festival in West Hollywood. But on his way home to Monterey Park, Rodriguez was stranded in front of the Ripley's Believe It or Not on Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue in Hollywood. At about 12:40 a.m., two men walked up to Rodriguez and one of them punched him in the face without any provocation.

That six foot tall, 20-something, black or Hispanic man wore large, white ear gauge plugs that made him easy to recognize.

After the attack on Rodriguez, the men boarded the Metrorail Red Line for North Hollywood. After arriving there, they re-boarded the Red Line and returned to the Hollywood and Highland location. When they found police activity at street level, related to the attack on Rodriguez. They got back on the subway headed for Union Station but it is unclear where they left the train.

Rodriguez was hospitalized for two weeks and then died of his injuries on Oct. 7, 2014.

There is a $50,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of both men. The second man, also in his mid-20s was about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed around 160 pounds; he wore a black baseball cap over a red "Bulls" jacket.

To become eligible for the $50,000 reward, call LAPD Detective Fernando Rivas at (213) 382-9470. Crime Stoppers welcomes anonymous calls at 1-800-222-TIPS as well as text messages to 274637 (CRIMES) which include the letters "TIPLA" plus your tip.

Copyright 2015 FOX 11 Los Angeles: Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.