Thread: Police: Calif. crossing guard beaten in front of kids

Police: Calif. crossing guard beaten in front of kids

Nov. 30, 2010 04:03 PM
Associated Press
.

LOS ANGELES - As frightened children watched, a crossing guard was beaten and robbed of her stop sign and whistle as she tried to get an SUV to stop near an elementary school, authorities said Tuesday.

The 59-year-old guard did not appear to be seriously injured, but she had a bruise on her face after the attack, said John Sayers, principal of nearby Russell Elementary School.

"She was more upset about the children having to see that than what happened to her," Sayers said.

The crossing guard, whose name was not released, was helping about 20 children across a street in the unincorporated Florence area of South Los Angeles when she tried to stop an SUV on Monday, the Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

As the vehicle drove toward her, she held her sign aloft and said, "'You have to stop, the children come first,' " according to the statement.

Authorities said the driver, Jose Hernandez, 27, yelled that he was not stopping. As he was shouting, passenger Vanessa Del Pilar Martinez, 20, left the SUV. When the guard tried to walk away, Martinez punched her and knocked her to the ground, authorities said.

The driver then got out the SUV and grabbed the guard's ID tag from around her neck, as well as her whistle and stop sign, according to the statement said.

Several adults took down the license plate number of the SUV, and deputies later arrested the two suspects for investigation of robbery. They were being held in lieu of $50,000 bond with arraignment set for Wednesday.

They had not yet been assigned attorneys.

Children who witnessed the attack were offered counseling, Sayers said.

Margo Minecki, a spokeswoman with the county's department of education, said it was the first time she had heard of a crossing guard being attacked.

"The guards may face some hostility from motorists, but none has been beaten up," Minecki said. "It really doesn't happen."



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... z16vo2CdQX

"The guards may face some hostility from motorists, but none has been beaten up," Minecki said. "It really doesn't happen."

Can't say that anymore, now can we?

Several adults took down the license plate number of the SUV, and deputies later arrested the two suspects for investigation of robbery. They were being held in lieu of $50,000 bond with arraignment set for Wednesday.

How about getting to the heart of the matter? Why wasn't he charged with assault, violence against a female? Road rage? Did he have a license? Insurance?