Los Angeles, Ca
Domestic dispute in Southern California ends in deadly Samurai sword attack
One woman was killed, and two others were hospitalized after what appears to be a domestic dispute that prompted an attack with a Samurai-style sword Thursday afternoon in San Dimas.
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were called to the intersection of South Huntington Avenue and Basset Court just before 3:30 p.m. on reports of a rescue needed.
In video footage obtained by KTLA, a lone woman with blood on her right leg and hands was seen holding the sword near a parked U-Haul box truck in the 300 block of South Huntington Avenue as authorities arrived on the scene.
As deputies approached, the woman waved them down.
It appeared as if she wanted to show them the sword but immediately laid the weapon down and raised her hands when ordered to do so by deputies.
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What appears to be a Samurai-style sword surrounded by crime scene tape after a fatal attack on July 18, 2024. (KTLA) -
What appears to be a Samurai-style sword surrounded by crime scene tape after a fatal attack on July 18, 2024. (KTLA) -
A woman seen moments before L.A. deputies arrive after a fatal attack on July 18, 2024, in San Dimas. (Danielle Leivo) -
L.A. deputies at the scene of a fatal sword attack in San Dimas on July 18, 2024. (Danielle Leivo) -
L.A. deputies at the scene of a fatal sword attack in San Dimas on July 18, 2024. (Danielle Leivo) -
L.A. deputies at the scene of a fatal sword attack in San Dimas on July 18, 2024. (Danielle Leivo) -
L.A. deputies at the scene of a fatal sword attack in San Dimas on July 18, 2024. (KTLA)
“That female then directs them to a residence on the street where the deputies find an additional female also suffering from lacerations, who was later pronounced dead at the scene,” LASD Lt. Daniel Vizcarra said at a news conference. “As they continued through the residence, an additional female was found in the residence unharmed, who was also transferred to a local hospital due to a medical emergency.”
According to reporting by KTLA’s Rick Chambers, the emergency may have been a heart attack.
As far as what sparked the deadly violence between at least two of the women, authorities say it is unknown at this time because they only speak Mandarin Chinese, which has slowed the investigation down.
“The preliminary investigation suggests that there may be a family connection, but again, because of the language barrier, we have not confirmed that,” Lt. Vizcarra said.
Aerial footage from Sky5 showed the area on South Huntington Avenue where the U-Haul truck was parked and the Samurai sword was in the street cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape.
KTLA learned that interpreters have been sent to the scene and the hospital to help investigators learn more about what exactly happened.
Detectives said there is no further threat to the community.
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]
WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence
A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.
The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.
Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.
The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.
“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”
According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.
“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.
“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”
Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.
“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”
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A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia)
The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.
“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”
Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.
“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.
Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.
“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.
“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”
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