A chef who starred in a Netflix collection bravely defended herself in opposition to a homeless man who known as her a racial slur and started beating her up in a wild, caught-on-camera brawl that left her with a damaged nostril and a ugly eye harm.
Surveillance footage captured the horrifying second Wendy Drew, who appeared within the collection “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment,” was confronted on Sept. 1 inside a liquor retailer in downtown San Francisco.
“This man, a regular-looking man, walked by and known as me the N-word,” Drew advised NBC Bay Space of the attacker who was strolling a canine.
“I stated, ‘Why are you calling me that? Why?’ Then he turns and begins hitting me on the top. He punched me like thrice on the top. I’m like, you’re not going to get away with hitting me,” Drew additionally advised The San Francisco Normal.
Drew then bravely pushed the person right into a liquor retailer, the place the 2 fought and Drew known as for onlookers to name 911.
“I principally had him in a bear hug. I had my legs round him, and he saved attempting to get away,” she advised the outlet. “His canine comes by. I assumed the canine needed to chunk me, however the poor factor was simply licking my face. I loosened my grip, and that’s when he began repeatedly punching me within the face.”
Surveillance footage obtained by the Normal exhibits Drew brawling with a person police recognized as Irvin Rivera-Lara, 31, a homeless man with a violent prison historical past now charged with a hate crime.
A buyer was seen attempting to step in and pepper spray Rivera-Lara, who holds Drew down on the ground and repeatedly punches her — as his canine runs across the retailer, at factors even licking the chef as she’s attacked.
As the 2 lastly handle to face up, Rivera-Lara could be seen leaning over Drew and releasing a barrage of violent punches to her face.
After she manages to face, Drew could be seen attempting to forestall Rivera-Lara from leaving the shop, however he shoves her out of his means. Rivera-Lara was held exterior the shop till police arrived.
Drew advised the outlet she thought her attacker appeared “like a tech bro,” in his hoodie, however finally realized he was homeless and had a prison report.
“He simply appeared like somebody who was taking his canine for a stroll,” Drew stated. “It turned out he was homeless. It didn’t seem to be he had any psychological points at face worth.”
Rivera-Lara was arrested on suspicion of assault more likely to trigger nice bodily harm, committing a hate crime and offering false info to an officer.
Final yr, he was arrested on suspicion of attacking the proprietor of a sandwich store who confronted him for urinating on trash cans close to the restaurant.
Drew confirmed off her painful accidents, together with a large gash on her face that needed to be glued shut.
“I additionally bought a concussion and a damaged nostril. It might require surgical procedure; they don’t seem to be positive but,” she stated, including that she additionally obtained a tetanus shot.
District Lawyer Brooke Jenkins formally charged Rivera-Lara Thursday with assault more likely to trigger nice bodily harm and battery with critical bodily harm. The fees embody particular allegations that the incident was a hate crime.
“Hate crimes haven’t any place in our neighborhood and should be addressed swiftly by the prison justice system,” Jenkins stated in an announcement.
“Assaults like this demean and degrade people whereas additionally shaking entire communities. I’ll do every little thing in my energy to make sure there’s accountability and justice on this case.”