Police are investigating a violent confrontation involving a longtime downtown Los Angeles road vendor after a surprising assault was captured on video and shared broadly on social media.
The incident unfolded close to Figueroa and seventh streets, the place Arabelia Martinez was working at her meals stand when an argument with one other girl spiraled right into a brutal bodily assault.
Video posted on-line exhibits the dispute starting at Martinez’s stand.
The unidentified girl could be seen pouring sizzling sauce over the seller’s sizzling canines, damaging the meals she was promoting. Martinez then seems to toss a red-colored powder towards the girl, triggering a speedy escalation.
Footage exhibits the suspect advancing towards Martinez as the seller makes an attempt to again away. Moments later, the pair tumble to the bottom, the place the girl repeatedly strikes Martinez behind the top.
A number of bystanders rush in and attempt to separate the 2 girls. However the violence doesn’t finish there.
As Martinez is helped to her ft and begins strolling away, the video exhibits the girl speeding up from behind and launching a second assault. The suspect seems to punch Martinez within the head and face earlier than grabbing her by the hair and dragging her again to the bottom as horrified witnesses look on.
The sufferer’s household believes the confrontation could have been motivated by racism. Martinez’s son mentioned the girl started harassing his mom whereas she was promoting meals, allegedly telling her to return to Mexico and making different racist remarks earlier than the assault.
Within the aftermath of the assault, Martinez’s household launched a GoFundMe marketing campaign that had raised greater than $97,000 towards its $120,000 objective as of Wednesday.
“My title is Constantino Garcia, and I’m elevating funds for my mother, Arabelia Martinez — a good looking, hardworking road vendor in Downtown Los Angeles who was tragically assaulted earlier this week,” Garcia wrote on the fundraising web page.
He mentioned the cash would assist cowl remedy, restoration time away from work and alternative of broken gear and provides.
“The assault not solely left her bodily and emotionally shaken, but additionally resulted in injury to the gadgets she works so laborious to take care of,” Garcia wrote.
Witness Sebastian Gutierrez, an Uber Eats supply driver, mentioned the assault was among the many worst incidents he has seen within the space.
“It was horrible. It actually made me offended, myself, witnessing that. Worse than quite a lot of the others. I’ve seen different occasions folks getting attacked, and what not right here, however that basically, it simply feels so unsuitable. It’s similar to, there’s no motive to be doing that in any respect,” Gutierrez advised ABC7 eyewitness information.
Gutierrez mentioned the girl seemed to be affected by psychological well being points or probably beneath the affect.
“After which I see her out of the blue push over the entire gadgets of at the least one in every of these vendor stands. Dozens of fruit cups, a complete sizzling canine cart,” he mentioned.
Authorities haven’t introduced any arrests, and the investigation stays ongoing.
The video has sparked outrage on-line, with many expressing assist for Martinez and calling for these accountable to be held accountable.
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