File this one under what is this world coming to?
A 59-year female crossing guard was beaten and robbed of her stop sign and whistle in front of twenty school children and a few adults Monday afternoon in the Florence-Firestone area.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies from Century Sheriff's Station were called to Hooper Avenue and Firestone Boulevard at 2 p.m. when the attack occurred.
Witnesses said the victim, who was working as a crossing guard, was assisting school children across the street in the crosswalk when two suspects drove up to the intersection in a black Ford Expedition and began to turn east on Firestone Boulevard from northbound Hooper Avenue. The crossing guard raised her stop sign higher in the air and told the suspects, "You have to stop, the children come first."
The male driver, 27-year-old Jose Hernandez, yelled at the crossing guard that he was not stopping. As he continued to yell at the crossing guard a female suspect, 20-year-old Vanessa Del Pilar Martinez, got out of the passenger side of the SUV and approached the crossing guard. As the crossing guard tried to walk away from Martinez began hitting the crossing guard with her fists, knocking her to the ground.
Hernandez then got out of his SUV, approached the victim, and forcibly took her stop sign. He also ripped the lanyard holding the victim's whistle and work identification from around her neck. The suspects got back into the SUV and drove east on Firestone Boulevard and out of sight.
The robbery occurred in the presence of about 20 elementary school children and several adults who went to pick their kids up after school. Many of the adults provided information to deputies at the scene, including the license plate number of the SUV.
Century Sheriff's Deputies traced the car to a home in the Florence-Firestone area and were able to locate and arrest the two suspects after a witness positively identified them as the culprits in the attack. The victim's stop sign was also found inside the suspects' home.
The two suspects were booked for robbery and assault at the Century Regional Detention Facility and are expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
Their bail was set at $50,000 each.
The victim, who suffered relatively minor injuries, was treated at a local hospital Monday and able to go home the same day, deputies said.
"This is very surprising," said Sheriff's Lt. Mike Thatcher. "We have never seen anything like this before and hope we never do again."
A 59-year female crossing guard was beaten and robbed of her stop sign and whistle in front of twenty school children and a few adults Monday afternoon in the Florence-Firestone area.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies from Century Sheriff's Station were called to Hooper Avenue and Firestone Boulevard at 2 p.m. when the attack occurred.
Witnesses said the victim, who was working as a crossing guard, was assisting school children across the street in the crosswalk when two suspects drove up to the intersection in a black Ford Expedition and began to turn east on Firestone Boulevard from northbound Hooper Avenue. The crossing guard raised her stop sign higher in the air and told the suspects, "You have to stop, the children come first."
The male driver, 27-year-old Jose Hernandez, yelled at the crossing guard that he was not stopping. As he continued to yell at the crossing guard a female suspect, 20-year-old Vanessa Del Pilar Martinez, got out of the passenger side of the SUV and approached the crossing guard. As the crossing guard tried to walk away from Martinez began hitting the crossing guard with her fists, knocking her to the ground.
Hernandez then got out of his SUV, approached the victim, and forcibly took her stop sign. He also ripped the lanyard holding the victim's whistle and work identification from around her neck. The suspects got back into the SUV and drove east on Firestone Boulevard and out of sight.
The robbery occurred in the presence of about 20 elementary school children and several adults who went to pick their kids up after school. Many of the adults provided information to deputies at the scene, including the license plate number of the SUV.
Century Sheriff's Deputies traced the car to a home in the Florence-Firestone area and were able to locate and arrest the two suspects after a witness positively identified them as the culprits in the attack. The victim's stop sign was also found inside the suspects' home.
The two suspects were booked for robbery and assault at the Century Regional Detention Facility and are expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
Their bail was set at $50,000 each.
The victim, who suffered relatively minor injuries, was treated at a local hospital Monday and able to go home the same day, deputies said.
"This is very surprising," said Sheriff's Lt. Mike Thatcher. "We have never seen anything like this before and hope we never do again."
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