Inglewood gardener attacked in hate crime, police say
The attack happened on Tuesday, April 15 in the 200 block of W. Hyde Park.
The victim suffered facial fractures and an eye laceration, and his house keys were stolen during the attack.
Officials said the suspect approached the victim, punching him repeatedly in the head and face while shouting racial slurs.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Javier Ibarra says he never saw it coming.
He was opening the front gate at the Inglewood complex he lives in, like he has done at 6:30 a.m. for the years he's lived there, to get his gardening work truck out.
That's when a tall man dressed in a green sweatsuit attacked him from the back.
Ibarra says the man expressed his hate for Mexicans, as he started to hit him. The victim suffered facial fractures and an eye laceration, and his house keys were stolen during the attack.
Surveillance video shows the attack went on for a bit, and stopped when the victim screamed out his wife's name, and she came out their front door.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man viciously attacked in suspected hate crime in Inglewood; suspect sought
She went back inside to get a phone to call 911, and by the time she got to her husband, the suspect had run off.
Neighbors shared with investigators images of a vehicle the man was seen getting into. No one recognizes him, although someone did say off camera they saw him looking into recyclable trash bins.
Investigators are putting out enhanced images of the suspect, describing him as a male, between 30 and 40 years of age, about 6 ft tall and 200 lbs.
They add that he has a tattoo on his stomach and a mole between his left eye and his nose.
The vehicle is described as a 2008-2012 silver-blue/green Chevrolet Malibu with tinted rear windows.
They are asking anyone with information to call the Inglewood Police Department's Detective Bureau at 310-412-5240 or the Watch Commander at 310-412-5206.
Ibarra's family has set up a fundraising page to help pay for medical costs.
The Source
Information for this story is from the Inglewood Police Department and interviews with the victim, Javier Ibarra, and neighbors on April 30, 2025.
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