LOS ANGELES, CA – A South Los Angeles woman says she was struck in the head with a crowbar, bitten several times and had her phone taken during a road-rage confrontation early Saturday, and Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives say they have identified the suspect and are working to locate her.
The attack happened around 4 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, on 111th Street near Raymond Avenue, according to initial reports. The woman, Samantha Baez-Vargas, was taken to a hospital after the encounter.
Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s South Los Angeles Station are investigating. As of Oct. 23, no arrest had been announced, and Baez-Vargas’s mother, Elizabeth Vargas, has publicly urged authorities to act.
Two cars meet on a narrow one-way street
Baez-Vargas said the confrontation began when two cars met on a narrow, one-way street and could not get past each other. She said the other driver was traveling the wrong way and demanded that she back up.
Baez-Vargas said she refused and told the other driver to back up instead. According to her account, the argument escalated into shouting before the encounter turned violent.
Headlights, windshield and window smashed
A woman then approached Baez-Vargas’s car with a crowbar and smashed its headlights, windshield and driver’s-side window, according to initial reports.
When Baez-Vargas got out of the car, the woman allegedly hit her in the head with the crowbar and bit her multiple times. Baez-Vargas said the woman also took her phone out of her hand.
“I thought she would stop and she didn’t,” Baez-Vargas said. “She smacked me in the head with the crowbar at that point, and she snatched my phone out of my hand.”
Victim says she feared for her life
Baez-Vargas said she was in shock during the attack and did not know how to defend herself. “I didn’t know how to react. I was shocked. I didn’t know how to defend myself,” she said.
She described the aftermath in terms of the hospital visit. “After the fact, I was in the hospital. I felt like I could have lost my life,” Baez-Vargas said.
Mother urges authorities to act
Vargas, the victim’s mother, said she wants investigators to move quickly. “Please do your job. This evil can’t be out there,” she said.
She also asked what would follow if the suspect remained free. “Right now, it’s my daughter. So what’s going to happen next? Somebody else’s daughter?” Vargas said.
Vargas asked anyone with information about the case to help investigators find the suspect.
Sheriff’s detectives say suspect identified
In a statement provided to reporters by Oct. 22, the Sheriff’s Department said detectives from the South Los Angeles Station had been working the case. “South Los Angeles Station detectives have been actively investigating this case and have positively identified the suspect. Detectives are currently working to locate and apprehend her,” the department said.
The department has not released the suspect’s name. A name for the woman has been circulated online, but the department has not confirmed or released one.
Resources for crime victims
The Sheriff’s Department’s victim resources page says victims can report a crime by calling 911 in an emergency, contacting their local Sheriff’s Station or calling Los Angeles Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-TIPS.
The page also describes the VINE program, which it says is “an automated computer program offered to crime victims.” The department says its purpose is “to provide victims of crime continuous access concerning an inmate’s custody status,” and victims can use it by phone at 1-877-411-5588.
The department also publishes a Crime Stats Dashboard with 10 years plus the current year of Part I crime statistics for the areas it serves, according to its crime and arrest information page. The department says the monthly figures follow FBI Uniform Crime Reporting guidelines and are updated on the 23rd of each month.
Anyone with information asked to call station
Anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts is asked to contact the South Los Angeles Station at 323-820-6700. The station is at 1310 W. Imperial Highway in Los Angeles.
Detectives continue search for suspect
Detectives are still working to locate and arrest the woman they have identified. The investigation remains active, and no arrest or charges had been announced as of Oct. 23.
