LOS ANGELES, CA – A 30-year-old woman was arrested Oct. 28 on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a crowbar attack on a driver Oct. 17 in the Westmont neighborhood of South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The department identified the suspect as Diamond Tomia Dyson, 30. Deputies responded Oct. 17 to reports of a fight near 111th Street and Mariposa Avenue, the department said.
Investigators said Dyson struck the victim multiple times in the head and body with a crowbar. They also said she bit the victim, took her cell phone and used the crowbar to damage her car.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal court process.
Dispute began over a one-way street
The victim has described the confrontation as starting around 4 a.m. over a narrow one-way street. In her account, two vehicles could not pass each other, and the other driver, who was headed the wrong way, demanded that she back up.
She said the woman then used a crowbar to smash her car’s headlights, windshield and driver’s-side window. She said the woman hit her in the head with it, bit her several times and grabbed her phone.
Those details come from the victim’s own account and have not been established in court. The Sheriff’s Department’s description of the attack, as given by investigators, includes the strikes to the head and body, the bite, the phone and the damage to the car.
Victim hospitalized with bruising
The victim was hospitalized after the attack, according to her account. She described bruises on her shoulder, abdomen, arm and chest.
Her family publicly urged the Sheriff’s Department to make an arrest in the days after the attack.
Detectives identified the suspect before the arrest
Before the arrest, the Sheriff’s Department said South Los Angeles Station detectives had been working the case. By about Oct. 22, the department said detectives had identified the suspect and were trying to find her.
“Detectives have been actively investigating this case and have positively identified the suspect,” the department said in a statement. “Detectives are currently working to locate and apprehend her.”
Search warrant served at residence
On Oct. 28, detectives from the South Los Angeles Station served a search warrant at Dyson’s residence. They took her into custody for assault with a deadly weapon.
The department has not released a motive or said whether Dyson and the victim knew each other. The investigation is continuing.
Tips go to South Los Angeles Station
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the South Los Angeles Station at 323-820-6700.
The department also publishes Part I crime statistics for the areas it serves on its crime and arrest dashboard. Statistics for the previous month are updated on the 23rd of each month.
Case goes to the District Attorney’s Office
The Sheriff’s Department said it will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Under the process the District Attorney’s Office describes, deputy district attorneys review investigations by law enforcement agencies and decide whether there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges.
They also decide which charges, if any, fit the evidence presented. No charging decision had been announced as of Thursday, and the investigation remains active.
