3 Inglewood girls allege attack by other teens

Three Inglewood girls said Saturday that they were attacked last week by at least 13 other teenagers on a sidewalk across the street from the Inglewood Unified School District offices and a continuation school.

The girls, ages 16, 17 and 18, said at a news conference that they were held down and kicked Wednesday afternoon, and that two of them suffered injuries requiring outpatient hospital treatment.

The three Latino girls said they heard at least one of the attackers, all of whom they said were black, use racial slurs. The girls described themselves as friends and fellow students at Morningside High School in Inglewood, and said they were attacked as they walked toward one of their homes.

Marisol Banuelos, 24, of Los Angeles, a relative of one of the girls, criticized the Inglewood Police Department for what she called a slow response, saying that officers failed to investigate aggressively or seek witnesses.

Sgt. Gabriela Garcia, an Inglewood police spokeswoman, said detectives were investigating the incident.

Kevin Scroggins, chief of the Inglewood school police, said he only learned of the allegations Saturday and questioned why city police didn’t notify his agency. He said his officers are now looking into the allegations.