A man who worked at SoFi Stadium has been fired after being accused of knocking over a hot dog stand and injuring a girl in the process.
The incident occurred Saturday night after a concert, and video taken after the incident shows cooking pans and food strewn across the sidewalk and a gutter outside the Inglewood venue.
The two carts were reportedly shoved over by a SoFi employee who works with the “guest experience” team.
One of the food carts belonged to Bakersfield resident Lesbia Tol, who told KTLA she had stepped away for a bathroom break. Her three children were looking after the cart when the alleged incident happened, and her oldest daughter was injured.
Witnesses said the worker was telling street vendors to move back, but eventually took matters into his own hands. According to the family, the 12-year-old was holding onto the cart when the man pushed it away, injuring her.
“When he pulled the car, I start crying because I was scared about it,” Marlyn Roquel, Tol’s oldest daughter, said, adding she hadn’t done anything beforehand.
In a statement, SoFi Stadium officials said they are aware of the incident and that man, who was employed by a third-party vendor, has since been terminated. They said they are working with police to “look into the matter.”
“Maintaining a safe environment is our number one priority, and we will continue to regularly evaluate staffing and protocols across all of our vendors to ensure an enjoyable entertainment experience,” the statement read.
The fired worker was identified Tuesday as Marvin Carroll, who vowed to apologize during a news conference Wednesday morning.
Carroll “deeply regrets what happened and wants to apologize publicly in hopes that this will ease any tensions between the Latino and African American communities,” according to a news release from Project Islamic Hope.
The organization said that apology isn’t enough and is calling for a city and county wide effort to support street vendors, especially in areas like South Los Angeles, where Latino vendors have been the victims of robbery, assaults and harassment, Director Najee Ali said.
“It’s important that African Americans show our compassion and solidarity with working class Latino street vendors by patronizing them this weekend and permanently,” he indicated.
