The robbery escalated after four women attempted to leave a beauty supply store in southeast Los Angeles County with multiple stolen items, officials said.
One of the employees at M Beauty in Commercial City tried to block the doorway. That’s when one of the women attacked the employee, grabbed her and threw her roughly to the ground outside the store, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement about last week’s incident that the officer “fell head-first to the ground and lost consciousness.”
However, it was not immediately clear from store surveillance footage when the woman lost consciousness. The video, reviewed by the Times, shows her struggling with the person who threw her to the ground, then getting back on her feet, stumbling, and falling on her back onto the asphalt.
Surveillance footage from the M Beauty store in Commerce shows multiple people leaving the beauty store on March 6th.
The 32-year-old employee is currently fighting for his life, according to his family and supervisor. The family did not identify the woman, but said they feared for her safety, but did not provide further details. According to her family and her boss, she remained unconscious for several days after the March 6 incident and suffered two heart attacks in the aftermath.
“My daughter is in a delicate condition,” Enrique Sandoval, the employee’s father, told the Times in Spanish. “She opens her eyes and moves them from side to side, but that’s it.
“We are devastated,” he said. “It drives me crazy to see my daughter in this situation, in this condition, but I have to be strong to keep going. …I hope she can get through this.” May God help you.”
Sandoval said her daughter is currently in intensive care and connected to a machine to keep her heart beating. his family is Fundraising for her treatmentHe expects the scope to be extensive and likely to require a heart transplant.according to Report from KTLA-TV Channel 5the woman had previously had heart problems.
“It hurts my heart to see this happen to her,” said Daniel Min, who owns and operates M Beauty store with his parents. She worked at the Whittier Boulevard store for about five years, earning the title of assistant manager, he said.
Ming said she didn’t know why she wanted to intervene with the shoplifters last week, but said that’s not what employees are expected to do.
“I always tell them that health and safety comes first,” Min said. He said his team has been instructed to report anyone stealing to the police because they are being recorded, but not to physically enter.
But he said he understands it’s painful to see seemingly innocuous thefts continue over and over again.
“She has worked with us for a long time. Even our employees are tired of people stealing,” Min said. “These guys come in with a bunch of stuff and they try to run away. … It’s happening everywhere, and it feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
Sandoval said her daughter encouraged stores to invest in increased security, but Min said security guards often can do little in the face of such thefts.
However, after the incident, Min said he was considering hiring security guards to ensure the safety of other employees.
“My daughter made a comment to me that she told the owner that they needed some kind of security guard before something worse happened,” Sandoval said. “The owners are good people, but that doesn’t mean they could have had security guards. Unfortunately, we’re in this situation right now.”
The sheriff’s office said no one has been arrested in the incident and the investigation continues. The suspects left the store in a white sedan, and authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Detective Bureau at (323) 264-4151.
Sandoval remained hopeful that those involved would be held accountable. He described his daughter as a hard worker, both at work and for her family. He said she had always dreamed of being her mother.
“If anyone in the community knows anything or witnessed anything related to this incident, please let the Sheriff’s Office know,” Sandoval said, adding that people have the option to remain anonymous. said. “The families would be grateful to anyone who came forward.”
