A suspect was captured on video carrying out a senseless attack on a woman pumping gas. The beating was appalling, to say the least, but the reaction of bystanders is what really left people on social media talking. It’s the suspect’s family member, however, that should have the public’s attention.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) was left searching for a suspect — later identified as Antoine Larue Rainey — after the man was captured on surveillance video assaulting a woman who was pumping gas at a station in Gardena, according to Fox 11. During the apparently random attack, the unnamed victim was severely beaten, prompting a call to the police.
After receiving a call from the gas station, located in the 500 block of Rosecrans Avenue, just after 7 pm on a Sunday evening, officers with the LASD responded to the scene, where the unnamed victim gave a statement. Thankfully, the entire violent incident was caught on a surveillance camera, and the victim’s statement matched what was seen on video.
According to the victim’s statement and as seen in the shocking footage, the suspect — described as a large, shirtless black man, weighing 300 to 350 pounds and approximately 6 feet tall, between the ages of 35 to 45 — drove into the gas station parking lot and pulled up directly in front of the unnamed woman’s vehicle at the pumps. After parking his matte black older model Ford Expedition with black rims, the suspect calmly got out of his battered SUV and walked towards the lone woman as she filled her gas tank.
Without any apparent hesitation, the man — believed to be Antoine Larue Rainey — approached the woman and then delivered an unexpected blow, punching her so hard that she fell to the ground, according to the department. Sadly, the brutal beating didn’t end there. Instead, the suspect continued to relentlessly punch the woman in her head and face. Be forewarned, the attack is difficult to watch, and the reaction of bystanders only makes it worse:
As seen in the disturbing footage, the suspect shows no mercy. Instead, the suspect is seen throwing at least 10 punches while the woman was on the ground. He’s also seen grabbing her hair and slamming her head against the car and against the pavement multiple times while delivering blow after blow.
Sadly, as shown in the surveillance footage, multiple onlookers watched as the incident unfolded, but no one stepped in to help. In fact, the suspect was able to get back into his vehicle and drive away after the gruesome attack without anyone trying to stop him, The Blaze reported.
Following the brutal beating, the victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries that were described as “severe.” She has since been released to recover at home, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. According to the victim, she did not know the suspect and he did not take any of her personal belongings.
Anyone with any additional information regarding the attack was asked to contact the authorities, and thankfully, it worked. The LASD said a person, believed to be the suspect, was detained and taken into custody in Long Beach days after the attack. He was identified as 37-year-old Antoine Larue Rainey and booked at the Century Regional Detention Facility for assault likely to produce great bodily injury and held in lieu of $30,000 bail. Sadly, after imploring the public to help, the LASD discovered that this wasn’t the first time the suspect allegedly struck.
According to the sheriff’s department, another victim, who’s only been identified as a 63-year-old black woman, came forward after seeing the video to tell authorities that she was also attacked the day before in the area of Rosecrans and Avalon in Willowbrook. She suffered minor injuries after Rainey allegedly punched her repeatedly while she was seated in her vehicle stopped at a light. Rainey was eventually charged with two felony counts of assault for both attacks.
What Antoine Larue Rainey is accused of doing to this woman is simply evil and incomprehensible, but he’s not the only one who displayed disgusting and disturbing behavior that day. How anyone can watch such a vicious attack unfold and not step in to attempt to help the victim is inconceivable. However, there is a bright side to this story.
Antoine Larue Rainey was captured because a family member saw the news story, immediately recognized the suspect as their loved one, and turned him in. “Fearing for the safety of the community, the concerned family member contacted Long Beach P.D. and gave them the Suspect’s location,” the LASD wrote in an update on their Facebook page. That family member deserves praise.
It’s not easy to report a loved one’s wrongdoing, but thankfully, this family member held the safety of the community in higher esteem than their family bond, and for that, we thank them. All too often, family members choose to co-sign a loved one’s bad behavior by ignoring it rather than calling them out and telling the truth. This person, however, chose to do the right thing, bringing about justice for the innocent victims whom they don’t even know. That’s worthy of applause.
