LASD Deputy Allegedly Dumped Bleeding Assault Victim At Malibu Day Labor Center

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Stafford Taylor's hospital room is surrounded by the lives he has touched, from the pictures on the wall to the hands that hold on to every moment.

Taylor is a popular Malibu artist who was the victim of a violent crime this past 4th of July.

He had been hit over the head and robbed while he was walking to his car after an Independence Day party.

A security guard spotted Taylor half naked on the side of the highway, helped him get dressed and called the sheriff's department.

Taylor's family was told that a sheriff's deputy arrived, put the Malibu artist in the patrol car and drove to a day-labor exchange center in Malibu. The deputy then dropped Taylor off, and drove away without calling for an ambulance.

"It's clear that the deputy in this case thought that Stafford was homeless and thought it convenient to dump him," said the Taylor family's attorney, Arnoldo Cassillas.

Day laborers said they first saw Taylor slumped over a picnic table. He later collapsed on the ground nearby.

A 44-year-old undocumented worker told us she noticed Taylor appeared delirious.

She said his body was ice cold and he was shivering, but when she touched his forehead, he was burning up. She and two other workers decided to call 911, even though she could be putting herself at risk by staying with him until the ambulance and other first responders arrived.

[Reporter: You were more worried about him than you were about yourself?]

"God says love those around you," she said in Spanish.

[Reporter: Do you believe that they saved his life?]

"I believe they saved his life, absolutely," Taylor's wife said.

Taylor arrived at the hospital about five hours after he was dropped off by the deputy at the labor exchange.

His brain was bleeding and doctors had to cut off part of his skull to relieve the pressure.

Doctors said there was no way to predict how much he will improve, but most progress is usually seen in the first six months. It has currently been nearly four.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released the following statement:

"We have been in close contact with the family and care about the well-being of Mr. Taylor. We have followed up with the family at the hospital and offered assistance to them during this challenging time. The investigation into the assault of Mr. Taylor is on-going and we are looking at everything surrounding this incident. We are also conducting our own review of the incident as it relates to policies and procedures, as we always do.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Malibu/Lost Hills Station at (818) 878-1808. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the "P3 Tips" Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website.

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Malibu/Lost Hills Station are conducting an investigation into a possible assault which occurred between the evening of July 4, 2018 and the morning of July 5, 2018, in the city of Malibu. The victim is a male in his 60's, who suffered head trauma during the incident.

The victim attended a 4th of July party in Malibu and left that location at approximately 10:30 PM. Security video footage showed the victim walking from the party westbound in the 26000 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
On July 5, 2018, at approximately 5:20 AM, deputies received a call for service involving the victim. Subsequently, the victim was transported by deputies to the Labor Exchange at the Malibu Civic Center.

Later that morning, at approximately 10:20 AM, paramedics responded to the Malibu Civic Center, Labor Exchange involving the victim requiring medical aid. The victim was treated and transported to a hospital with severe head injuries. It is unknown at this time when or how the victim sustained his injuries.

Malibu/Lost Hills Station Detectives are requesting the public's assistance with any information regarding this incident.

No further information is available at this time.

Investigation is ongoing."