Current:Home > ContactPolice arrest suspect weeks after brutal attack of 13-year-old at a McDonald's in Los Angeles -Trailblazer Wealth Guides
Police arrest suspect weeks after brutal attack of 13-year-old at a McDonald's in Los Angeles
View
Date:2025-04-15 19:51:43
Officials arrested a 31-year-old woman Thursday for allegedly attacking a 13-year-old at a Los Angeles McDonald's in a now viral video.
The suspect, Ariana Lauifi, is being held in suspicion of a child abuse felony for the Sept. 6 attack in the Harbor City neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
"The public’s continued interest in the incident resulted in investigators receiving numerous leads, ultimately assisting detectives in positively identifying the suspect," LAPD wrote in a news release.
Cell phone video recordings show a woman brutally punching and kicking 13-year-old Kassidy Jones multiple times, pulling her hair and forcing her to the floor inside the fast-food restaurant as no bystanders interfere. Jones said she and her friends were walking home from school when they stopped at the restaurant to use the restroom, KTLA reported.
See also:Ohio couple sentenced to prison for fraud scheme involving dubious Alzheimer's diagnoses
Jones said a woman she had never met before quickly lunged at her and began beating her. The child added the entire incident was completely unprovoked. She recalled the attacker saying "What the F are you looking at? I fight kids. I’ll fight you!"
The suspect is currently held with the bail price set for $100,000, jail records show. The case will be sent to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration, LAPD said.
The victim suffered severe bruising including on her face, according ABC7. Jones' mother reportedly said her daughter is also hurting emotionally.
"She can't sleep at night. She's bruised," the victim's mother Angelina Gray told ABC7. "She doesn't want to go to school because she's tired of the kids and everybody asking her what happened and making fun of her."
"The family of Kassidy Jones are extremely grateful that the LAPD has made an arrest of the woman who viciously beat Kassidy in an unprovoked attack inside McDonald's. As McDonald's managers and onlookers offered no help in stopping the assault," a spokesperson for the family said in a statement.
"Kassidy, is still traumatized and undergoing therapy. But hopefully this news will give her encouragement that justice will be served. Kassidy deserves a break today."
“We were horrified to learn about this violent attack, and our thoughts are with Kassidy and her family," store owner and operator Tawnie Blade told USA TODAY. "Employees called police when the fight began, and we’re continuing to work closely with local law enforcement to help with their investigation."
More:Lightning strike kills 16-year-old Florida girl who was out hunting with her dad
veryGood! (3)
Related
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- After the Wars in Iraq, ‘Everything Living is Dying’
- Producer sues Fox News, alleging she's being set up for blame in $1.6 billion suit
- As Lake Powell Hits Landmark Low, Arizona Looks to a $1 Billion Investment and Mexican Seawater to Slake its Thirst
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- What to know about 4 criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump
- Inside Clean Energy: Lawsuit Recalls How Elon Musk Was King of Rooftop Solar and then Lost It
- Still trying to quit that gym membership? The FTC is proposing a rule that could help
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger Is Engaged to Thom Evans
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Miami woman, 18, allegedly tried to hire hitman to kill her 3-year-old son
- Amazon releases new cashless pay by palm technology that requires only a hand wave
- Binance lawsuit, bank failures and oil drilling
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- One winning ticket sold for $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot - in Los Angeles
- Tarte Cosmetics Flash Deal: Get $140 Worth of Products for Just $24
- If You Want a Low-Maintenance Skincare Routine, Try This 1-Minute Facial While It’s 59% Off
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
A Great Recession bank takeover
Jimmie Johnson Withdraws From NASCAR Race After Tragic Family Deaths
Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will likely lead to long-term shortages of medicine
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Oklahoma executes man who stabbed Tulsa woman to death after escaping from prison work center in 1995
Miami woman, 18, allegedly tried to hire hitman to kill her 3-year-old son
Las Vegas police seize computers, photographs from home in connection with Tupac's murder