School crossing guard beaten in front of children

LOS ANGELES – With frightened children looking on, a crossing guard was beaten and robbed of her stop sign and whistle after she tried to get an SUV to stop near an elementary school, authorities said Tuesday.

The 59-year-old guard did not appear to be seriously injured, but she had a bruise on her face after the attack.

The crossing guard, whose name was not released, was helping about 20 children across a street in the unincorporated Florence area of South Los Angeles when she tried to stop an SUV on Monday, the sheriff’s department said.

As the vehicle drove toward her, she held her sign aloft and said, “You have to stop, the children come first,” according to a police statement.

Authorities said the driver, Jose Hernandez, 27, yelled that he was not stopping. As he was shouting, his girlfriend, Vanessa Del Pilar Martinez, 20, left the SUV. When the guard tried to walk away, Martinez punched her and knocked her to the ground, authorities said.

Detective Frank Heredia said the driver then got out the SUV and grabbed the guard’s stop sign as Martinez yanked her whistle and ID tag from around her neck. Some witnesses told investigators they saw the driver punch the guard, too.

Heredia said the motive was unclear, but the incident was likely triggered by road rage.

Several adults took down the license plate number of the SUV, and deputies later arrested the two suspects for investigation of robbery.