Police are searching for two people who were caught on video as they knocked an ice cream vendor to the ground and robbed him this week in downtown Los Angeles.
The attack occurred Tuesday near the corner of 12th and Birch streets, across the street from a large Coca-Cola bottling facility, L.A. police said in a tweet.
Surveillance video shows the pair approach the vendor, appearing to speak with him briefly before one of the assailants swiftly punches the victim, who is knocked to the ground. The vendor doesn’t appear to move as the two pat him down, apparently taking his belongings.
The attackers, who police describe as a Black man and woman, are then seen fleeing in a dark-colored Toyota Avalon driven by a third person.
The victim, Miguel Medina, said it’s hard for him to recall the details of what happened. But he remembers being punched in the face before hitting in head on the ground and blacking out.
The robbers stole the $30 he’d made that day, Medina told KTLA.
Medina said he was released from the hospital on his 58th birthday, but he’s been focusing on recovering from pain rather than celebrating.
Adan Reyes, who supplies the ice cream that Medina and others sell, said similar attacks occur in the area two or three times a year.
“They see us like vulnerable, because we are working alone on the streets,” Reyes said.
Reyes set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for Medina. It had raised money than half of its $2,000 goal by Thursday evening.
Police say the male suspect is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs around 165 pounds, while the woman measures around 5 feet, 4 inches and weighs roughly 125 pounds.
Officer Jeff Lee said there was no further information on the suspects Thursday afternoon, and they were still at large.
Anyone with information on the crime can contact LAPD robbery investigators at 323-846-6572.
