Man beaten to death near Peters Street, Ted Turner Drive, Atlanta police say

ATLANTA - Atlanta Police are trying to track down the suspect who beat a man to death Tuesday morning in downtown Atlanta.

Police say the attack was caught on camera near the intersection of Peters Street and Ted Turner Drive. 

Investigators say the brutal beating happened on a stairway. People who live nearby told FOX 5 Atlanta the victim could be a man who has been known to sleep on the stairs.

"Murder is one thing, but to be beaten to death, I think, is totally different," said David Borgiet. 

"You have to be a real evil person or have some anger where you would just beat somebody relentlessly for nothing," said Gary Peebles.

Atlanta police got a call about the attack just after 6:15 Tuesday morning. When they arrived, they found a man unresponsive in the stairway.

Peebles lives down the street and told FOX 5 that whenever he came by, he would always see a man sleeping on the stairs. At this point, investigators have not said if he is the victim or a possible suspect.

"He was always there. Sometimes I jogged this way and I would come around the hill right there, up the handicapped ramp instead of coming up the steps because he would sleep there all the time," Peebles said.

Around noon, hours after the attack, detectives came back to the scene and collected a large pipe as evidence. It is unclear if it is a possible murder weapon. 

Investigators say the beating was caught on camera. They have not released it or a picture of the suspect they are searching for, but say he was dressed in all black.

"From the video that we saw, there was a physical altercation and that lasted for a pretty lengthy time," said Lt. Andrew Smith with Atlanta Police.

The victim has not been formally identified, but police say he was 40 to 50 years old.

"We live in a dangerous society no matter where you live," Peebles said.

At this point, no suspect is in custody and a motive is unclear.

This story is developing. Check back for details. If you have additional information, pictures, or video email newstipsatlanta@fox.com.