A woman who was attacked and sexually assaulted while strolling through the canals of Venice in April has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, accusing the government of failing in its duty to provide safe streets and protect its citizens. . .
Mary Klein, 55, who suffered a brutal beating that left her toothless and with a blood clot in her brain, was attacked around 10:30 p.m. on April 6 while walking in the exclusive coastal neighborhood. Another woman, Sarah Alden, 53, was also attacked that night and later died.
Police then arrested Antonio Francisco Jones, 29 years old; He was charged with two counts of forcible rape, murder, attempted murder, mayhem, torture and sodomy by use of force. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Times typically does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Klein was ahead of share your storysaying people should take it as a wake-up call that more social services are needed for people suffering from mental illness and more police protection for everyone.
“That's why all this crime is happening: We're ignoring the extreme mental health crisis happening on our streets,” he said this summer.
In filing his claim, Klein said he is trying to make clear that the government must do more to protect its citizens. The attack on her, she said, has turned her into an activist for public safety.
Los Angeles city officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the claim.
Klein filmed herself walking to Los Angeles City Hall on Friday to make her claim, speaking to the camera as government buildings rose behind her. A claim against the city can be a precursor to a lawsuit.
“There is a dereliction of duty by the government in Los Angeles, in California,” he says in his video. “A failure to fulfill its duty to protect its citizens from criminals and also to properly fund the police.”
“I have lifelong damage to my jaw, brain and blood clotting in my brain, from being attacked by a passerby on an unpatrolled street in Venice,” he said. The street, he said, “was dark, unlit, a public street where numerous incidents of violent crime and murder have occurred, and there was still absolutely no police presence on the street.”
“That's not the police's fault,” he said. “Those are the people who defund the police.”
In an interview, he said he thanked Los Angeles officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, the City Council and the Los Angeles Police Department. He said he supports Bass' goal of expanding the LAPD by 1,000 officers.
“This is not about City Hall,” he said. “I see them working hard to help the community.” But the government as a whole must do more, he said.
