A Woodland Hills man who terrorized street vendors using violence, racist language and an axe must pay two victims a total of more than $2.8 million.
On Wednesday, a jury found Daniel McGuire guilty of assault, inflicting emotional distress and committing violent acts, among other crimes, against vendors Jonathan Alvarez and Tomas Leocadio, who relied on their fruit stands as their only source of income.
McGuire’s “reign of terror” took place between February and August 2022, attorney Christian Contreras wrote in court documents. During that period, McGuire repeatedly harassed vendors working at the intersection of Canoga Avenue and Dumetz Road in Woodland Hills, the complaint states.
In March of that year, McGuire published and distributed a racist manifesto around the neighborhood, referring to fruit vendors as “sub-American illegal aliens,” “hardened criminals” and “cockroaches that need to be ground into dirt,” according to the complaint.
That same month, McGuire “terrorized” Leocadio by using racist and vulgar language, causing the vendor to remove his stand from the intersection, the complaint states.
That August, McGuire was caught on camera destroying Alvarez's fruit stand with an axe.
In May 2022, local residents organized a small demonstration in support of street vendors. A video of the event shows McGuire yelling at protesters and spraying them with a garden hose.
In a statement provided to Fox 11 on Wednesday, attorneys for the plaintiffs praised the jury's ruling for sending a message that Los Angeles will not tolerate hate and violence against street vendors.
“This is a landmark verdict on street vendors that reflects the communities’ support for street vendors and rejection of racism, intolerance and hatred against street vendors,” the statement said.
The civil jury trial, which took place in Van Nuys East Court, found McGuire guilty of assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. He was also found guilty of violating the Ralph and Bane Acts, two California civil rights laws that offer protection against hate, violence and intimidation.
Alvarez is entitled to about $1.57 million in damages and Leocadio to about $1.27 million, the jury decided.
