UPDATE: Family of 49ers Fan Daniel Luna Seeks Justice, Answers In SoFi Stadium Attack
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- The family of the Oakland chef and 49ers fan assaulted outside SoFi Stadium were calling for justice Saturday in the wake of an arrest in the case.
Attack victim Daniel Luna remained in a coma Saturday night. Doctors performed an operation on the 40-year-old Friday and said he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
The family's attorney Jonathan Davis said his wife and parents are at his bedside at a Los Angeles hospital.
"The prayers here in the Bay Area where Daniel's from are loud and clear. This is a beloved restauranteur, renowned for his rotisserie chicken, his generosity, and kindness," said Davis.
Davis said his family is focused on his recovery and holding all parties accountable.
"At the end of the day, we know there's a snapshot and some people have characterized what they are reporting they've seen in a video tape. I think that's not just only premature, and probably inappropriate, it's also counterproductive. We want to get the full picture," Davis said.
Earlier this week, Inglewood's mayor said investigators determined Luna was mingling with a group of mostly Niners fans when he allegedly shoved a man wearing a Rams jersey from behind. The whole encounter lasted about 5 seconds. The mayor has seen the video, but police are not releasing it at this time.
"The reality is this was a one punch, one shove, two shove, one punch altercation. The greatest damage was done because he landed on the back of his head on the pavement," said Mayor James Butts Jr.
Friends of the well-known chef say such behavior is out of character. Davis said there's likely much more to what happened than what was captured on camera.
"There's no question, hours of video tape from a myriad of angles. This is a sophisticated environment. It's a highly charged environment," he said. "We know that SoFi will be preserving all that video tape so that the full picture can be examined and we can really understand not just the snapshot at that moment, but what happened before that that created the environment for this tragic incident to occur."
Inglewood Police arrested 33-year-old Bryan Alexis Cifuentes for felony assault. He was released on $30,000 bail.
The Luna family's statement reads:
"Our loved one Daniel Luna remains in a coma in intensive care after the violent attack he suffered at SoFi Stadium prior to the NFL Conference Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. We pray for him.
"We want to thank the paramedics who found him and the doctors, nurses and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for taking care of Daniel at this challenging and difficult time.
"The physicians performed a hemicraniectomy on the right side of Daniel's head to relieve internal pressure on Friday. We know he has a long road ahead of him.
"Right now, we are focused on Daniel's care and getting through this traumatic and horribly difficult time. We want to make sure these NFL events are safe and secure for everyone and that all parties responsible for this tragic and violent attack will be held accountable so that something like this never happens again.
"We also want to thank police and law enforcement officials for continuing their investigation to ensure justice is served.
"If anyone has any information, photos, video, or details of any kind, we urge them to reach out to the Inglewood Police Department Det. Will Salmon 310-412-5115. His email is: wsalmon@cityofinglewood.org. We have retained the services of a well-regarded attorney Jonathan E. Davis of the ArnsLaw Firm to assist Daniel and our family in seeking justice."
