With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Cosplay Photographer Arrested In Connection With Brutal Comic-Con Attack Speaks Out
Comic-Con International 2014 on July 27, 2014. (Photo by Chris Frawley/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. via Getty Images)
()
Update: Police say the teen cosplayer wasn't brutally attacked, but suffered a nasty fall.
The 29-year-old photographer arrested in connection with the beating of a teen at Comic-Con this weekend gave an interview about what happened that night.
Justin Kalior was arrested early on Sunday morning after a 17-year-old girl was found "unconscious and bloody" in the pool area at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina where Comic-Con is held. (Her mom initially said it was "on the side of the road.") San Diego Harbor Police say he's being charged with sexual contact with a minor and providing her alcohol.
The girl's memory is fuzzy, so police aren't sure whether Kalior was involved in the attack. No one including Kalior has been charged with assault in the case, and police say there may be other suspects, according to NBC San Diego.
Support for LAist comes from
Kalior is photographer who runs the YouTube channel and Facebook page Project Cosplay. He told Polygon his story about what happened that night. Kalior says that he is friends with the victim who lives in Lake Elsinore, and he insists the two weren't romantically involved. He offered to drive her to Comic-Con. He took pictures at the convention, while she was dressed up like Roger Rabbit.
The pair had gone to a party in a hotel room that had been broken up after a noise complaint, San Diego Harbor police Sgt. Todd Rakos told the Union-Tribune. Kalior says the pair didn't have sex, and he didn't give her alcohol. The pair stayed until around midnight when they got into a fight about leaving. He told Polygon that he wanted to call it a night and bring her back to her home, but she wanted to stay: "She ran off and I didn't follow. She didn't answer the phone. She was gone for so long I asked security if they had seen her."
Her mom told NBC that she also lost contact with her daughter at one point, which unnerved her: "My daughter was great about checking in all day with me with her phone and when I lost contact with her I kept trying to contact her and I knew something was wrong."
About an hour after Kalior says he last saw her, the victim was found still wearing her costume. Kalior says he was with security when they got the call about her around 1:15 a.m. It sounds like the initial report saying that she was found without an ID was also wrong. Kalior said police searched her purse and found out that she was 17—in fact Sunday was her birthday. Kalior said he was under the impression that she was 20.
Kalior wrote on his Facebook page in a post (that looks like it has since been taken down):
"This past weekend, I attended SDCC and came back with lots of pictures, but I don't feel it's an appropriate time to share them due to the fact my close friend [redacted] was assaulted and left in critical condition at the convention. This has been a few very hard days for me. I wasn't there for her when this happened and I regret every second. I just hope that she pulls through this with a safe and fast recovery. Please pray for her."
The victim was treated in an intensive care unit for skull and eye-socket fractures and cerebral hemorrhaging, Polygon says. Her dad wrote on his Facebook page, "Worst night ever... daughter in ICU San Diego brain bleed still waiting for answers. I love you [redacted]. Get well. Falling apart..." Her mom wrote on hers, "A better day.....each day she is getting better...very grateful."
Support for LAist comes from
"It's just so sad, that on her birthday she had one of the most horrific things happen to her," her mother told NBC. She added, "Somebody knows something and they’re just not saying it. I just want them to come forward. Be brave."
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist