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.
Two men were taken into custody early Thursday morning in West Hollywood after a bizarre chain of events: one man is accused of beating two women with a belt before he hopped into a car with another driver who allegedly ran over two different women people. (See update below.)
A group of women, who were in their 20s, were outside of a parking structure by Robertson Boulevard and El Tovar Place around 2 a.m. when the alleged belt-beating happened, CBS Los Angeles reported. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that several women "were laughing at a male who appeared to be extremely intoxicated," according to City News Service. The man allegedly took off his belt and starting assaulting them.
But then it got worse. The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. said that he then got into a car with another man who was driving, and the driver ran over two other women people before fleeing. Authorities stopped the car at Genesee Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard and arrested the driver and took the other man in for questioning.
The two women who were assaulted with a belt had minor injuries, and the other two who were hit by the car were taken to the hospital. One is in critical condition.
UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: LASD released a statement today identifying the two suspects as Hector Hernandez, 29, and Joseph Osuna, 23. Initial reports said that the pair had run over two women with their car, but witnesses later said that they actually struck a a man and a woman. They also noted that the driver intentionally hit them.
Hernandez was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and for driving under the influence, and Osuna for assault with a deadly weapon. They are being held on $40,000 and $30,000 bail, respectively.
The woman who was hit by the car is in still in critical condition and the man was treated and released from the hospital.
