LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s employee was brutally battered Wednesday by a jail inmate who asked her permission to use the restroom before throwing a series of punches, authorities said Friday.
Arnulfo Meza, 29, had his left hand unsecured from his waist chain at the Inmate Reception Center when he repeatedly punched a woman, 54, working as a custody assistant, the sheriff’s department said.
Security footage of the crime shows the woman walking over to Meza to hand him toilet paper when he punches her in the head. As she stumbles from the blow, he throws two more punches, causing her to fall on the floor, Fox News reported.
While on the floor, Meza throws two more punches, according to sheriff’s officials.
Next, he calmly walks over to a gurney as the woman calls for assistance. Several sheriff’s deputies respond in seconds and Meza is strapped onto the gurney. Two other inmates were laying on gurneys when the attack occurred.
The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment and remains in stable condition. Meza was taken to a high-security area. He possibly faces assault and hate crime charges, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office did not specify what Meza was initially incarcerated for, Fox reported.
In a tweet responding to the video, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said deputies often face “difficult situations.”
“Their commitment to duty and willingness to make sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Department,” Villanueva wrote.
