A Ventura County woman was caught on camera assaulting a 7-month pregnant street vendor earlier this week after berating her with racist remarks.
The vendor, Mary B., said it wasn’t the first time that this woman had targeted her. This time, however, the woman was arrested, and now Mary is suing her.
Police identified the aggressor as Julie Christine Sanchez, 56, of Simi Valley.
It happened on Monday, April 14, before 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of Torrance Street and Brandon Avenue.
Mary told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that she was working in the area when Sanchez began accosting her. As it was happening, Mary managed to pull out her cellphone to record the encounter.
“I don’t want you down this street,” Sanchez is heard saying as she blocks Mary’s path. “Go away, you’re not coming down this street anymore.”
Mary is heard responding in Spanish to Sanchez’s aggressions, at one point saying, “Let me pass, I’m not bothering you in your own home.”
In response to Mary’s Spanish, Sanchez says, “America? English.”
Sanchez, while also holding a dog on a leash, is then seen grabbing hold of Mary’s cart.
“I told you not to come down my street anymore, and I (bleep) meant it,” said Sanchez. “You bring down my property values.”
Then, home surveillance footage from afar shows Sanchez using Mary’s pushcart to shove the expecting mother to the ground.
“She demanded that I speak English, but I couldn’t, and then she pushed my push cart, causing me to fall,” Mary explained at a press conference.
Mary’s attorneys believe this was a deliberate hate crime, and they’re now filing suit.
“This woman in Simi Valley attacked Mary, attacked her unborn child, and attacked the street vendor community in Los Angeles,” said civil rights attorney Christian Contreras.
Contreras and Mary’s other civil rights attorney, Humberto Guizar, are now calling on the Ventura County DA to file hate crime charges against Sanchez.
“If you’re going to be attacking people because they look different and speak a different language, and you’re going to hurt them, we’re going to come after you, we’re going to sue you in court, and we’re going to use the legal system to hit you where it hurts,” said Guizar.
Simi Valley Police said they cited Sanchez with battery and a summons to appear, and now it’s up to the DA’s office whether or not to prosecute.
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