Prosecutors in Los Angeles have moved to bring criminal charges over a violent daytime confrontation involving a street food vendor. According to the account, the District Attorney's office announced charges against a woman identified as Ms. Church, accusing her of attacking a vendor who had been selling hot dogs and fruit at the time of the incident in the city.
At the center of the case is the vendor who was targeted, who appeared alongside prosecutors as the charges were announced. According to the account, the victim was named as Arbelia Martinez, a street vendor who was selling hot dogs and fruit from her sales location when the confrontation took place less than a mile from where the announcement was later made.
The formal charges reflect the seriousness with which prosecutors are treating the attack. According to the account, the charges filed are felony assault with great bodily injury, aggravated battery and vandalism, and officials said the total maximum sentence the defendant is facing amounts to more than seven years in state prison.
Prosecutors laid out a timeline of how the encounter began on the day in question. According to the account, the events unfolded at around 3:45 p.m. on June 15th, when Church was at Martinez's hot dog and fruit vendor sales location and the two got into what was described as a very loud argument before the situation escalated.
The office described what it said the evidence would show about the attack itself. According to the account, Church is accused of violently attacking Martinez, throwing her to the ground, punching her and dragging her, and then continuing even after bystanders stepped in to separate the two people during the altercation.
The damage was not limited to the vendor herself, prosecutors said. According to the account, Church is also accused of vandalizing Martinez's hot dog and fruit sales cart, throwing the contents into the street, an act that formed the basis for the vandalism count included alongside the assault and battery charges.
In announcing the case, the District Attorney framed it as part of a wider effort to protect small vendors. According to the account, prosecutors said this type of conduct would not be tolerated in Los Angeles and pledged to stand by street vendors who are attacked, while noting that every defendant is presumed innocent as the case moves through the courts.