A man incarcerated at a county jail facility attacked a Sheriff’s Department employee this week in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime, authorities said Friday, May 7.
The assault happened on May 5 at the Inmate Reception Center, inside the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles.
In a video released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Sheriff’s employee, identified in a news release as a 54-year-old Asian woman, handed toilet paper to a man standing unrestrained, who then punches her several times in the face.
The employee falls on her back and the man continues to punch her several more times, according to the video. The woman quickly stands up and is seen communicating over a radio. Within seconds, nine jail guards enter the room to find the man sitting on a gurney. The guards then restrain the man, who does not resist.
The employee was hospitalized with trauma wounds to the face and head, the Sheriff’s Department said.
LA Sheriff’s Custody Assistant Brutally Assaulted in an unprovoked attack by Inmate at the Inmate Reception Center.
To read more visit: https://t.co/LkrziYK2A2 pic.twitter.com/In3TgcAk7z
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) May 8, 2021
Authorities expect to file assault and hate crime charges against Arnulfo Meza, 29. Sheriff’s Department officials did not elaborate on why they consider the attack a hate crime or immediately respond to questions.
Police arrested Meza in El Monte on the evening of May 3 on a felony, according to county jail records, but they did not include details.