LAPD arrests woman accused of attacking downtown LA street vendor
Los Angeles police arrested the woman accused of attacking a street vendor in downtown LA.
Cell phone video shows the woman confronting longtime street vendor Arabelia Martinez at her hot dog cart at Figueroa and 7th Streets. The woman is seen pouring what appears to be hot sauce over Martinez's food before the confrontation quickly escalates.
When Martinez throws something back, the woman rushes toward her, throws her to the ground, grabs her by the hair and repeatedly attacks her as bystanders try to step in and help.
"She tackled my mom," Martinez's son Constantino Garcia said. "My mom hit her head. She started pummeling my mom."
He said the woman first confronted his mother, telling her she wasn't allowed to sell food and that she needed a permit. Garcia added that the woman used racist slurs during the encounter and damaged his mother's cart and food.
"She was trying to, basically, extort her for money," Garcia said. "Then she started making racist comments toward her. One of them was one of the most utterly disgusting things I've ever seen in my entire life, if not the most. Something that should never happen again to anyone."
Garcia said that his mom is still recovering from the attack.
"She's sore all over her body," Garcia said. "She has to see a head specialist because she's getting a lot of severe headaches."
Following the arrest, Martinez's family thanked the LAPD and everyone who supported them as his mother recovers.
"Our mom is home resting, and we are overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity you have shown us," the family wrote in a statement. "Your support is helping ensure she receives the care she needs as she continues to recover during this difficult time. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for standing with our family."
