One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership 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.
Girl Breaks Free of Smelly, Male Attacker
Photo by Lord Jim via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Sex offenders are routinely required to wear GPS tracking devices in an attempt to thwart future attacks -- but perhaps a more effective deterrent would be spraying them with something stank. The LA Times reports that a 14-year-old girl who broke free of a man as he attempted to grab off the sidewalk described her would-be attacker as stinky -- or, in police parlance, "he had a 'distinctly bad body odor,' [Cmdr. Josef Levy of the Long Beach Police Department] said."
The girl was walking to Butler Middle School in Long Beach this morning when a man who was later reported as being between 25 and 30, African-American and 6 feet tall, took hold of her arm and then exposed himself. She was able to get away safely, and police are still looking for the man.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
