4 Fire Dept. Aides Held in Beating
Four county Fire Department employees have been arrested in connection with the Aug. 19 beating of a West Hollywood man, sheriff’s officials said.
Gene Lawrence Branum, 43, suffered a broken arm during the attack near a parking lot on Santa Monica Boulevard, Sheriff’s Sgt. Terry Judge said.
Sheriff’s and fire officials refused to release the names of the suspects pending the outcome of the investigation and declined to discuss details.
Branum said he was knocked to the ground, kicked and beaten after interrupting a fight between one of the suspects and an unidentified man, who fled when Branum intervened. Branum said the four suspects had apparently attacked the man because he kicked their car.
“They told me it was none of my business,” Branum said Tuesday from his hospital bed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The four suspects, whose ages range from 20 to 25 years, are Fire Department aides. They are temporary employees whose work primarily involves maintenance, clearing brush and assisting firefighters during wildfires.
The suspects were booked for investigation of felony assault. Each was released Monday in lieu of $6,000 bail.
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