Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

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.

News

Police Might Not Seek Charges Against Black Friday Pepper Sprayer

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Police might not seek any charges against a woman who pepper-sprayed Black Friday crowds at a Walmart, bought an Xbox and left the store.

The initial reports, which topped national lists of disturbing Black Friday insanity, suggested that the woman was a "competitive shopper" who sprayed other customers at the Porter Ranch Walmart in order to gain an advantage.

But now that the woman — described as a 30-something Latina — has turned herself in, police are not saying whether or not they plan to press any charges. Investigators are not discussing her motives in pepper-spraying a crowd of 20 people, but they haven't booked her or released her name.

Both the Los Angeles Times and New York Daily News speculate that if the woman felt threatened, the police may decide that she was justified in using her pepper spray and won't press charges against her. For right now, the police are keeping mum about how they plan to move forward.

Support for LAist comes from

"We have a ton of witnesses and victims to interview," said Los Angeles Police Officer Bruce Borihanh. "We know who she is."

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist