Ladera Ranch woman describes attack by 2 men yelling racial slurs

Personal Injury News

Article Date: 7/6/2009 | Resource: MLG

Ladera Ranch woman describes attack by 2 men yelling racial slurs

“2 men took her cell phone and wallet before stabbing her forearm, authorities said.”

LADERA RANCH – A 45-year-old woman who was stabbed and robbed inside a gated community on the Fourth of July is believed to have been targeted by two men because of her ethnicity, authorities said.

The two men stabbed the woman on her forearm, held her against her will and ripped her shirt open while yelling racial epithets at her, authorities said. The woman, a Latina who works as a custodian for the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corp., was emptying trash outside the community’s clubhouse when she was attacked.

“They told me I wasn’t worth anything,” said Maria Guadarrama. “They said they didn’t like me and they didn’t like Mexicans.”

The incident, which occurred outside the community’s clubhouse at about 10:20 a.m. at 1 Covenant Hills Drive, quickly turned violent, she said. The men were waiting for her near a golf cart she uses to get around in the community for work, and at first she thought they wanted to ask her a question.

“She’s not fluent in English, but she understood what they were saying,” said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The men told her that Mexicans didn’t belong here and they were going to do what they could to get them out as they pushed and pulled her, said Guadarrama, who said she’s worked as a custodian for the association for about a year.

The two men surrounded Guadarrama, and one of them held her neck with his arm from behind, she said.

While holding her neck, the man rubbed himself against her. Guadarrama said she hit him with her elbow, then reached behind her and scratched him on the neck and shoulder.

“I tried to defend myself,” she said.

The man let her go after she scratched him, but grabbed on to her again by her shirt collar, Amormino said. The man ripped open her shirt, exposing her bra.

“This is a cowardly and despicable act,” Amormino said.

While he held her by the shirt, the other man reached inside her pants pocket and grabbed her wallet, cell phone and a radio, she said.

Throughout the assault, the men continued to yell racial slurs, Amormino said.

Guadarrama was then pushed into the ground, where she hit her head on a golf cart she uses for work in the association.

One of the men stood next to her and, with what appeared to be a switchblade knife, tried to cut her face, Amormino said. Guadarrama was able to block the blade with her left forearm, but suffered two puncture wounds because of it.

“I put my arm in and he wasn’t able to reach my face, thank God,” she said.

“He told her not to tell anyone,” Amormino said.

The men left on foot toward Sienna Parkway. Guadarrama’s cell phone was found smashed inside a planter a short distance from where the assault took place. Her wallet, which held $797, has not been recovered. She had been paid recently and Guadarrama said she was carrying the cash to pay her rent later that day.

“It all happened without a reason, without a cause,” Guadarrama said. “It happened really fast and I wanted to ask for help. When they left I just sat there and cried.”

When the two men left, Guadarrama told her supervisor, who then notified the Sheriff’s Department. Guadarrama was treated by paramedics at the scene but refused further treatment.

Investigators believe the two men may live or know someone in the gated community of about 800 homes, Amormino said.

One of the men was described as being a white male between 24 and 26 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 pounds. He had a black goatee, shaved head and blue eyes, Amormino said. He was wearing a white tank top and black shorts. He also had a swastika tattoo on his left shoulder.

The second man was described as being 19 or 20 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and between 180 and 200 pounds. He had brown eyes, short hair, was clean shaved and was wearing a yellow and blue shirt with brown shorts.

“This is rare for anything like this to happen in Ladera Ranch,” Amormino said.

According to a report from the Orange County Human Relations Commissions, there were 79 hate crimes reported in the county in 2008. African-Americans were the most targeted victims, reporting 29 percent of the reported incidents. Latinos were the second most targeted group, reporting 15 incidents the same year.

Guadarrama said she’s never experienced or heard of anything similar happening in the area, and until then, felt completely safe working in the community.

“It’s a safe place. It isn’t a dangerous place and wealthy people live there, so you don’t think things like that will happen,” Guadarrama said. “I know there’s bad people, but I don’t know why.”

For more information regarding this article please contact:

Jeffrey Marquart
(949)589-0150
jmarquart@marquartlawgroup.com