Watch CBS News

Lena Hernandez, Long Beach Woman Whose Racist Rant Went Viral, Gets 45-Day Sentence In Assault Case

TORRANCE (CBSLA) — A Long Beach woman who was caught on camera spewing anti-Asian rants plead no contest Tuesday to an assault charge.

Lena Hernandez Court

Lena Hernandez, who skipped out on court Monday and was subsequently arrested on a bench warrant, faced a judge over an incident that happened last October.

According to prosecutors, Hernandez pushed and struck a woman at Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance. Hernandez plead no contest and was sentenced to 45 days in jail and one year of anger management.

"What kind of message does it send to other perpetrators, other people, other violent racists out there that you can just assault someone, you can push them to the ground, and only walk away with a 45-day sentence," attorney Sandy Roxas said.

"What she did was violent," Kayceelyn Salminao, the victim, said. "It was a violent attack to me, so it should have been the maximum amount of six months."

Earlier this year, now viral videos showed Hernandez going on anti-Asian rants against a woman in a park and a man in a parking lot. Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.