HOMELESS MAN IN FAIR CONDITION AFTER BEING ATTACKED.

Byline: Donna Huffaker Staff Writer

GLENDALE - A homeless man beaten unconscious was listed in fair condition Tuesday as police continued to look for his attackers.

Glendale police pulled Luis Lopez, 49, screaming and bleeding, from a trash bin in the 300 block of North Verdugo Road early Monday morning, said Sgt. Rick Young.

Lopez, who had a 10-inch gash in his head, told authorities he was sleeping in the trash bin behind Old English Cleaners, when two unidentified men yelled, ``Police. You have to come out,'' according to a police report.

As soon as Lopez stood up in the trash bin, about 4:30 a.m., the men beat him, the report said.

Lopez did not see uniforms on the men and does not believe they were law enforcement officers, according to the police report.

Lopez told police the men ran away, he passed out briefly and they returned 30 minutes later asking, ``Do you want to die now?'' the report says. Lopez told the men he wanted to sleep. The men allegedly then dumped trash on him and ran away, Young said.

During the ruckus, Lopez's blanket caught fire from candles he had been burning in the trash bin. He yelled for help, which is when police officers heard him and helped. Glendale firefighters extinguished the small fire.

A witness told police he saw a white mid-90s model Honda speeding away.

Lopez was undergoing X-rays Tuesday afternoon to determine the extent of his injuries, said Adelaida De La Cerda, spokeswoman for Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center.

Anyone with information on the attack is asked to call Glendale Crime Stoppers at [phone]. Callers may remain anonymous.