security guard

Security Guard Takes Down Attacker Who Left Man Bloody in Downtown LA

A security guard tackled and pepper-sprayed a transient accused of attacking a man and leaving him bleeding on the sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles.

Waltay Simmons said he came upon the chaotic scene at the Whole Foods at 7th and Olive streets Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

"I heard somebody yell, 'Oh my God!' I turned around and caught the tail end of a guy stomping a senior citizen's head into the ground," Simmons said.

Simmons was working as a security guard for the Whole Foods grocery store when the attack occurred.  

"I just yelled at him and ran at him," Simmons said. "He saw me and started running into the Domino's parking lot."

Cellphone video taken by a witness showed a man, described as elderly, in a pool of blood on the ground. Police described the attack as unprovoked and did not have details regarding a possible motive.

"I pepper-sprayed him. [It was] a self-defense thing," Simmons said. "He came at me, and the look in his eyes? It was me or him."

Simmons said he also handcuffed the man.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed 46-year-old LaFawn Parker, who is homeless, was arrested in connection with the attack. He was  booked on suspicion of attempted murder, according to police. 

Bond was set at $1 million. It was not immediately clear whether Parker has an attorney. 

The man who was attacked has not been identified, but police said he was in critical condition.

"A guy without his medicine and a victim who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Simmons said. "I think both of them were victims, really."

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