Two boys, one 12 and the other 13, were arrested early Tuesday in connection with the homicide of an elderly San Luis Obispo man.

Gerald O’Malley, 87, was found dead in his mobile home at 145 South St. on Monday night. Police say O’Malley’s death was the result of head trauma, and they believe a skateboard was the murder weapon.

Earlier, witnesses reported seeing the two boys driving away from the South Street mobile home park around 4:30 p.m. in O’Malley’s green Ford Explorer. At 8:53 p.m. SLO police officers were flagged down at Higuera and Bridge streets by two people who said they had followed a Ford Explorer on 101 from Arroyo Grande because it was driving erratically and they suspected the driver was drunk.

Police then ran the plates, discovered the vehicle belonged to O’Malley, and went to his nearby home to investigate. There they found O’Malley’s body and began the homicide investigation. It’s unclear when O’Malley was murdered.

Police talked to local youths and other witnesses, which led them on a search for the two suspects. Police were familiar with the pair because they reportedly stole a tractor during an incident near the park last weekend.

Plain-clothed officers arrested the boys near Railroad Square around 1 a.m. The 13-year-old was charged with murder and the 12-year-old was charged with auto theft.

Police searched the home of the 13-year-old and seized a skateboard, but they have not confirmed that it is the murder weapon. Police did confirm both suspects live in San Luis Obispo.

—John Peabody