Current:Home > MarketsPolice arrest suspect weeks after brutal attack of 13-year-old at a McDonald's in Los Angeles -LegacyBuild Academy
Police arrest suspect weeks after brutal attack of 13-year-old at a McDonald's in Los Angeles
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:06:23
Officials arrested a 31-year-old woman Thursday for allegedly attacking a 13-year-old at a Los Angeles McDonald's in a now viral video.
The suspect, Ariana Lauifi, is being held in suspicion of a child abuse felony for the Sept. 6 attack in the Harbor City neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
"The public’s continued interest in the incident resulted in investigators receiving numerous leads, ultimately assisting detectives in positively identifying the suspect," LAPD wrote in a news release.
Cell phone video recordings show a woman brutally punching and kicking 13-year-old Kassidy Jones multiple times, pulling her hair and forcing her to the floor inside the fast-food restaurant as no bystanders interfere. Jones said she and her friends were walking home from school when they stopped at the restaurant to use the restroom, KTLA reported.
See also:Ohio couple sentenced to prison for fraud scheme involving dubious Alzheimer's diagnoses
Jones said a woman she had never met before quickly lunged at her and began beating her. The child added the entire incident was completely unprovoked. She recalled the attacker saying "What the F are you looking at? I fight kids. I’ll fight you!"
The suspect is currently held with the bail price set for $100,000, jail records show. The case will be sent to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration, LAPD said.
The victim suffered severe bruising including on her face, according ABC7. Jones' mother reportedly said her daughter is also hurting emotionally.
"She can't sleep at night. She's bruised," the victim's mother Angelina Gray told ABC7. "She doesn't want to go to school because she's tired of the kids and everybody asking her what happened and making fun of her."
"The family of Kassidy Jones are extremely grateful that the LAPD has made an arrest of the woman who viciously beat Kassidy in an unprovoked attack inside McDonald's. As McDonald's managers and onlookers offered no help in stopping the assault," a spokesperson for the family said in a statement.
"Kassidy, is still traumatized and undergoing therapy. But hopefully this news will give her encouragement that justice will be served. Kassidy deserves a break today."
“We were horrified to learn about this violent attack, and our thoughts are with Kassidy and her family," store owner and operator Tawnie Blade told USA TODAY. "Employees called police when the fight began, and we’re continuing to work closely with local law enforcement to help with their investigation."
More:Lightning strike kills 16-year-old Florida girl who was out hunting with her dad
veryGood! (41)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Please Don't Offer This Backhanded Compliment to Jennifer Aniston
- Warming Trends: GM’S EVs Hit the Super Bowl, How Not to Waste Food and a Prize for Climate Solutions
- Harnessing Rice Fields to Resurrect California’s Endangered Salmon
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- ‘America the Beautiful’ Plan Debuts the Biden Administration’s Approach to Conserving the Environment and Habitat
- Why Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger’s Wedding Anniversary Was Also a Parenting Milestone
- Warming Trends: The Top Plastic Polluter, Mother-Daughter Climate Talk and a Zero-Waste Holiday
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Ohio Weighs a Nuclear Plant Bailout at FirstEnergy’s Urging. Will It Boost Renewables, Too?
Ranking
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Meta launches Threads early as it looks to take on Twitter
- Los Angeles sheriff disturbed by video of violent Lancaster arrest by deputies
- Nordstrom Rack Has Up to 80% Off Deals on Summer Sandals From Vince Camuto, Dolce Vita & More
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- U.S. could decide this week whether to send cluster munitions to Ukraine
- Why Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger’s Wedding Anniversary Was Also a Parenting Milestone
- It was a bloodbath: Rare dialysis complication can kill patients in minutes — and more could be done to stop it
Recommendation
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
Ohio man sentenced to life in prison for rape of 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for abortion
Scandoval Shocker: The Real Timeline of Tom Sandoval & Raquel Leviss' Affair
JoJo Siwa Details How Social Media Made Her Coming Out Journey Easier
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
Pills laced with fentanyl killed Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, Robert De Niro's grandson, mother says
Federal judge in Trump case has limited track record in criminal cases, hews closely to DOJ sentencing recommendations
Why Samuel L. Jackson’s Reaction to Brandon Uranowitz’s Tony Win Has the Internet Talking