An 82-year-old woman brutally beaten as she was cleaning her car in East Los Angeles said she was relieved to hear of an arrest in the attack.
Angelica Fierros was one of at least eight women attacked by a suspect who was arrested late Tuesday in Tijuana, authorities said. Sergio Andrew Garcia is suspected in a series of attacks that began July 10, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
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WATCH HEREFive days later, he allegedly ambushed Fierros outside her home.
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SIGN UP "I was cleaning up the car, I didn’t see anybody, and then all of a sudden, bam," said Fierros. "The hit! Right here, on the neck. Near the head. It was hard."
Fierros was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground. Her sister found her seconds later in a pool of blood.
"My sister didn’t see anything. She only found me on the ground in a pool of blood," Fierros recalled.
She said her purse, credit cards and car keys were stolen. But that wasn't all. Garcia returned the next morning and stolen Fierros' car, investigators said.
Authorities announced the 21-year-old suspect's arrested Wednesday.
"I felt stronger," Fierros said, expressing relief at an arrest in the attack.
Garcia is suspected of three crimes on the day of the attack on Fierros, authorities said. He was jailed in lieu of $2 million bail, according to the sheriff's department and jail records.
At about 6 a.m. that day in East Los Angeles, he allegedly attacked a 67-year-old woman outside her home in the 1000 block of Fraser Avenue.
At around 9:20 a.m. July 15, Garcia allegedly approached a woman as she walked home from church in the 1300 block of South Alvarado Street, south of Pico Boulevard, in the Pico-Union district, police said. He struck her in the face multiple times, knocking her to the ground and causing her to lose consciousness, according to the LAPD, which said he stole the woman's property and ran from the scene.
Los Angeeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and LAPD Chief Michel Moore said they believe there are additional victims who have yet to come forward.
"This person did not start this spree on the 10th of July," Moore said at a downtown news conference Wednesday.
Luna added, "We believe there may be additional victims out there and for one reason or another they have maybe chosen not to call the police yet. We really, really would like to hear from you."
He said anyone who believes they were victimized can call 800-222-8477.
