A 19-year-old woman has been arrested by Los Angeles police in connection with a violent assault on a hot dog street vendor in downtown Los Angeles, an incident captured on video that has drawn widespread public condemnation.
The suspect, identified as Harmunie Heaven Church, was booked on suspicion of felony battery causing great bodily injury and is being held on $50,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The attack, which occurred on June 15 around 4 p.m. on Figueroa Street, involved a street vendor and a pedestrian. The victim, identified by her family as 62-year-old Arabelia Martinez, was assaulted after an altercation over food.
Video footage of the incident shows a woman pouring a condiment over the vendor's hot dogs, prompting Martinez to throw what appeared to be spices at the woman. The assailant then proceeded to attack Martinez, throwing her to the ground, grabbing her hair, and repeatedly striking her while bystanders attempted to intervene. Despite being helped up, Martinez was further assaulted, sustaining injuries to her head and face.
A TikTok user, under the username Ladydope6, posted videos claiming to be the assailant, alleging that she poured a condiment known as chimoy on the vendor's food because Martinez refused service due to racial discrimination. The user stated, "When I walked up to her I had money. She told me: ‘Me no serve your people.’ So, yes, I retaliated." She also claimed Martinez threw Tajin seasoning at her face, describing the sensation as akin to pepper spray.
Martinez, however, has presented a different account. In an interview with Univision, she stated the woman was demanding free food and expressed shock over the attack. "Never in my life did I think I would go through something difficult like this," Martinez told the Spanish news station.
A GoFundMe campaign established by Martinez's daughter to cover therapy costs and replace damaged equipment has raised over $120,000. The page describes Martinez as a resilient and loving individual dedicated to her work, emphasizing that the assault has left her physically and emotionally traumatized, in addition to causing damage to her livelihood.
