What to Know
- Rodolfo Rodriguez was struck with a concrete brick and beaten on the ground July 4, 2018 in Los Angeles' Willowbrook area
- A 30-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the attack and investigators are determining whether more people were involved
- Investigators said Wednesday they do not believe the attack was hate-related, but they're still looking for a motive
A woman was arrested in connection with the brutal assault of a 92-year-old man who was struck with a piece of concrete and berated during the Fourth of July attack.
Laquisha Jones, 30, of Los Angeles, was arrested Tuesday night near 60th Street and Crenshaw Avenue in the Willowbrook area of Los Angeles, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The attack on Rodolfo Rodriguez occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. on July 4 in the area of East 118th and Robin streets.
Video of the aftermath, captured by a witness who called 911, showed Rodriguez on the ground with a bloodied face.
A motive for the attack was not immediately clear, investigators said. Rodriguez was going for a walk in his neighborhood when he encountered the assailant. Once he was on the ground, a group of men started kicking him, the witness said. The female attacker told Rodriguez, a U.S. resident who is from Mexico, to "go back, go back" and cursed at him, according to the witness.
In an interview Tuesday with NBC News, the witness said she believes the woman was telling Rodriguez to "go back" to Mexico.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators said the crime is not a "hate-related incident."
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"Who would do this to anybody? A 92-year-old senior citizen," said Erik Mendoza, the victim's grandson. "What can he do to anybody? There's no harm that he meant."
In the witness video, a woman wearing a red shirt who was walking with a child can be seen holding what appears to be a piece of concrete.
Jones was taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff's department. She was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.
Jail records did not indicate an initial court appearance. It was not immediately clear whether Jones has an attorney.
Investigators are still attempting to determine whether there were more individuals involved in the attack.
Rodriguez was released from the hospital to recover from his injuries at home with his family.
