Authorities are searching for the suspect who allegedly unleashed a vicious attack on a valet outside Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood.
The valet, 51-year-old Efrain “Frank” Zarazua, was critically injured.
“It really wasn’t just an assault. It was attempted murder because after getting Frank unconscious through blows, he just stomped on his head,” A.J. Sacher, the restaurant’s director of operations, said told ABC News.
The incident took place around 10 p.m. Sunday. According to witnesses, the shirtless suspect had already attacked at least two other people on the street before turning on Zarazua, who had gone outside to investigate the disturbance. The assailant repeatedly punched and kicked Zarazua, delivering a final blow to his head.
Zarazua sustained a serious head injury and a broken jaw. He has been the valet at Barney’s Beanery for more than 30 years.
“It’s dreadful and tragic,” Sacher said. “Frank, anybody who knows him, he’s the best of us, and he was attacked by the worst.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Zarazua with his recovery.
At the City Council meeting, Mayor Erickson argues about crime stats and diminishes people’s concerns about public safety, saying “I feel safe”. Indeed he has labeled citizens who have come before the City Council, including victims of violent crime, as “fearmongers”. While no city can prevent every tragic crime, we need leaders who at least acknowledge that people have the right to feel safe on our streets. Our Mayor will shed a few alligator tears at the next City Council meeting but his record and his words reflect his callous disregard for our safety.
This is infuriating but expected in a libby city that proudly declares itself woker than an alarm clock.
What’s Barney’s plan for when there’s a whole building full of the unhoused across the st – ditto for the other half dozen valet stands a block or so away from this future hub of enrichment: Armed security protecting the clientele and workers? How long before the single largest traffic intersection in the city becomes a no go area
There was a report on last night’s ABC 11:00 news that the guy has been caught. There were pictures of him. He is black and was shirtless in the pictures they showed. I’ve seen him in the WeHo area.
yeah he looks familiar think I saw him before at Starbucks on the corner of Robertson and SM. He came inside and got creepy vibes from him
As a victim of crime I can only empathize and relate to other victims of crime. This person was at the right place at the right time only to have a bad and wrong person for our community allowed to roam the streets! They are allowed to run and scream half naked, yell and spew words, but you never know that these people can become violent and snap in a split second! To nay sayers of violent crime to scapegoat or gaslight and victim blame, understand most instances we get attacked at random with no ability to escape or detect… Read more »
I think there is a 25k victims fund. I’d look into it at city hall. So very sad.
Looks like no one is safe here, even at work. My heart goes out to this man & pray to god the attacker gets caught & is severely punished. So, he had plenty of time to attack 3 people & almost kill one of them (in public) without getting caught or even described well enough to identify. That’s a tribute to the vigilance of our ever absent Sheriff’s Dept. and to the abject ever absent efficacy of our “Security Ambassadors”. No, it’s not a joke, it’s a sick & twisted commentary on our present make up of our make-believe CC.
If these violent people knew they would be sentenced and put in jail instead of released and not charged because of the liberal policies and lawmakers of WeHo and LA, then this type of assaulting would be curtailed. Without repercussions and punishments for violent crime, it will be encouraged and continue.
Is that too much common sense for you?
Agreed. Vagrancy is a crime to begin with, then combine drugs and untreated mental health issues, and the crime escalates from vagrancy to assault to murder. My heart goes out to Frank who has had to watch his work station be steadily encroached upon by homeless and, soon, an actual homeless shelter (even if they call it something else) – and then to be brutally attacked. Maybe the police will find this person and I will be proven wrong that it’s not a homeless vagrant…but I doubt it.
Most people agree with you but then they vote for someone like Gascon
Yes, they do, over and over and over again. The country is laughing at California.
Yup.
Crime cannot be tolerated. Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s understanding.
We need to make sure when people show us who they are – we believe them. When people commit serious, violent crimes against innocent people, they need to be removed from society – locked up – so as not given the chance to hurt other innocent people. Until we learn that lesson, these types of horrible crimes will keep happening to good people.
Vote differently.