Los Angeles Woman Left Brain Dead Following Brutal Assault? What Really Happened?

On March 9th, Maria Guadalupe Vargas’ life was tragically altered in an instant. The partially blind East Los Angeles woman was brutally attacked while trying to defend her husband, leaving her declared brain dead by doctors. Her grieving family now demands justice and action be taken to prevent this from happening to anyone else. In this article we talk about Los Angeles Woman Left Brain Dead Following Brutal Assault.

The Terrifying Events of That Morning

According to Maria’s husband Jose Rangel Hernandez, the events began around 10:30AM when he was waiting in the drive-thru line at a McDonald’s on Soto Street. Suddenly, a homeless man approached his car and began hitting him through his open window, angry that Jose did not speak English.

Jose got out of the car to defend himself, at which point surveillance footage shows Maria slowly making her way towards the altercation, trying to come to her husband’s aid despite her visual disability. Tragically, the attacker violently bumped Maria with his body, causing her to fall and fatally hit her head.

The Aftermath – A Comatose Woman and a Grieving Family

Maria was rushed to the hospital and released after a week. However, her health continued declining rapidly. She was readmitted, and doctors recently broke the devastating news that she no longer has any brain activity.

“She’s my life, she’s my love, she’s always with me – what am I going to do now?” Jose cried. He and Maria were loving partners for over 30 years, and her tragic fate has left him completely distraught.

The rest of Maria’s family is also reeling from anguish, shock and anger over this nightmarish assault that robbed them of their loved one. “That was his forever partner, someone he thought he was going to spend a lot more time with,” said grief-stricken grandson William Cantabrana.

Justice Delayed – Outrage Over the Attacker’s Charges

Exacerbating the family’s pain is their outrage over the charges filed against Maria’s attacker. They claim the police initially did not want to arrest him. When he was finally taken into custody, he was only charged with a misdemeanor offense.

“The guy is free…they catch him and let him go. He does something else wrong, catch him and let him go again,” Jose lamented angrily. This supposedly repeat offender now wanders free after the brutal attack that left an innocent woman comatose.

Preventing Future Tragedy – The Family’s Pleas for Justice

Maria’s grieving family is now demanding the justice they feel has so far been denied. “We are asking that the DA’s office give this a second or third look, whatever that may be,” said advocate Moises Castillo at a press conference for the family.

Most importantly, the family wants to prevent what happened to Maria from happening to anyone else. “I want what my whole family wants: justice, for it to not just be a waste of life,” grandson William implored passionately.

They hope increased legal charges and accountability for attackers like the homeless man who assaulted Maria can act as a deterrent against random brutality on the streets of East LA. They vow to continue fighting on Maria’s behalf, hoping some good can somehow emerge from their senseless tragedy. I sincerely hope you find this “Los Angeles Woman Left Brain Dead Following Brutal Assault? What Really Happened?” article helpful.