Gang Foe Hurt by Rock Tossed at Her Head
An anti-gang crusader who has been the target of harassment by a local gang, was injured Saturday when a suspected gang member threw a rock that struck her in the head, Los Angeles police said.
Viviana Guerra, 36, suffered a deep laceration, but refused to be taken to a hospital, said Lt. Don Hooper of the LAPD’S North Hollywood station.
Minutes after the attack, police arrested Luis Salazar, 21, and a 16-year-old youth and booked them on assault charges, Hooper said.
Police said they have documented more than 50 cases of harassment against Guerra--mostly vandalism to her home and verbal threats--since the woman began cooperating with police about two years ago in an effort to rid her neighborhood of a gang.
Last year, a 20-year-old suspected gang member was sentenced to prison for terrorist threats against her after he said, “Bang, bang, you’re dead, bitch,” and used his hand to simulate a gun, authorities said.
“She makes life miserable for them, and they know it,” Hooper said.
Saturday’s attack occurred about 1 p.m. when one of a group of suspected gang members who congregate near her Tiara Street home threw a rock at her as she drove by, Hooper said. The rock went through the car’s open window and hit Guerra in the side of the head.
Guerra’s home is less than one block from a police station.
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