UPDATE: Allied Universal has confirmed to WEHOonline that the Security Ambassador seen sucker-punching a homeless man at West Hollywood Park on February 15 is no longer employed by the company. The full statement here: “Allied Universal is dedicated to helping keep the community of West Hollywood safe,” the statement read. “We can confirm that the security professional involved in the incident is no longer employed by Allied Universal.”
He’s fired.
Original story published February 24, 2026. Updated February 25, 2026.
A video posted to Nextdoor eight days ago showed a West Hollywood Security Ambassador sucker-punching a homeless man at West Hollywood Park — hitting him from behind in the head while the man had no idea it was coming. The footage spread fast. KTLA picked it up. Residents went sideways. Allied Universal pulled the ambassador from the site and said an investigation was underway.
Monday night was the first time the city’s Public Safety Commission had Allied Universal in the room since it happened.
Allied Universal had a full January activity report ready for the Public Safety Commission Monday night. Numbers, stats, comparisons to the prior year. That’s what Alan Gonzalez and Valerie Chavez were officially there to deliver.
But everyone in that room knew what the real conversation was going to be.
Commissioner Tod Hallman wasted no time getting to it.
“What can you tell us about the investigation into the park incident?”
“The end of the investigation has been finalized,” Gonzalez said. “The ambassador has been removed from West Hollywood.”
Removed from West Hollywood. Not fired. Not terminated. We noticed. Nobody followed up to ask for clarification.
He Came From Block by Block
Chair Bill Harrison asked how long the ambassador had actually been in the program. Turns out he wasn’t a new Allied hire — he came over from Block by Block when Allied took over the contract in October and was brought on as a direct Allied employee at that point. Full onboarding, new hire orientation, all the program-specific training Allied requires.
Commissioner Stephen Post wanted to know if that training covered de-escalation and working with unhoused individuals specifically. Chavez said yes to both. And if a physical altercation breaks out, she said, the protocol is clear — call the Sheriff’s deputies.
That’s what the training says. That’s what the protocol says.
Commissioner Catherine Eng asked if the ambassador had any prior disciplinary history. Chavez said she couldn’t disclose that. Gonzalez added that the worker had been a strong performer going back through his Block by Block years and into the Allied period.
“To that point in time, he was a pretty exemplary ambassador,” Gonzalez said. “It was out of character and it was a disappointment. We had no indication we had a potential problem.”
Other Videos. Same Conclusion.
Photo credit: Ian Henderson via Nextdoor
Commissioner Catherine Eng asked what many have been asking — what happened before the punch? Gonzalez said Allied provided additional footage to the city showing the lead-up but didn’t describe what it shows.
“There is one specific video that is probably the most widely circulated. There are other videos that do show some of the timeline up until that video starts to give some context. None of it exonerates our team. We made mistakes. We did not take appropriate steps to de-escalate, and that’s entirely squarely on us.”
Fired or Just Reassigned?
One question that never got a clean answer Monday night: what exactly does “removed from West Hollywood” mean? Gonzalez never said the ambassador was fired. He never said terminated. The specific phrasing — removed from West Hollywood — leaves open the possibility the worker is simply deployed to another Allied Universal account somewhere else in Los Angeles.
WEHOonline reached out to Community Safety Director Danny Rivas to clarify. Rivas referred the question to Allied Universal Communications Director Kari Garcia, who confirmed the details of the investigation are kept confidential as a personnel matter. Garcia said she would look into what additional information could be shared. We’ll update this story when we hear back.
The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station can be reached at (310) 855-8850.
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That is good to hear. This allied security ambassador deserved that however that person also needs to be prosecuted by the LA County District Attorney! This allied security ambassador must be prohibited and prevented from ever patrolling or working in any capacity of serving the public in a security role. That homeless person/individual deserves justice like any other civilian or person who is assaulted and has a right to face and see his attackers prosecuted in the judicial system! He is a victim of crime. Also, what about the other security ambassador who engaged in physical assault? That second allied… Read more »
How about battery charges? Accountability?
The final report hasn’t been released and details are not yet available.
Mr. Gonzalez was also asked by Commissioner Hallman if Allied Universal had ties to G4S. Which they DO. He answered yes.
The question to West Hollywood is, “If you are a sanctuary city, why are you paying a company that acquired G4S in 2021?”
Following its acquisition of G4S in 2021, Allied Universal inherited contracts with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the parent agency of ICE. In 2025, G4S was reported to have tens of millions of dollars in contracts with ICE.
Keep those kickbacks coming to the City Council and Allied can do wherever it wants!!
What did Allied mean when they said they “removed the ambassador?”
Didn’t the commissioners want to know what that meant? Why didn’t they ask?
I’m glad you reached out to Danny Rivas for clarification. I hope he gives you a straight answer!
I have also heard that Allied is connected with ICE. Has that been proven? Are you going to be researching that?
A simple google search of Allied Universal ICE will answer your question. The representative for our security ambassadors stated the subsidiary in question has merged into Allied Universal’s corporate name now. He did not deny their company’s ICE contract. He only deflected
Mr.Gonzalez said yes, that night.
“ Commissioner Stephen Post wanted to know if that training covered de-escalation and working with unhoused individuals specifically. Chavez said yes to both.”
WHAT A LIE. Also, Allied security dont have radios to call for help and communicate!!
And another example of how our commissions, council, and staff throw softball questions to get answers without diving into the truth. Shameful. Once again why is Allied allow to operate or have a contract with the city when they are part of contracts with DHS with regards to ICE
Allied has proven they did not train ambassadors properly and due to someone shooting a video on their phone was the evidence the public needed Would they have reported this incident to the commission if this didn’t exist?
Maybe they attend the same training as new ICE recruits.