Family Seeks Justice After Stepmom Left Brain Dead in Boyle Heights Attack [Boyle Heights, CA]
BOYLE HEIGHTS, CA (May 21, 2024) — An East Los Angeles family is demanding justice after their stepmother was left brain dead following an altercation with a homeless man in Boyle Heights earlier this year.
On March 5, surveillance video captured 78-year-old Jose Juan Rangel Hernandez struggling with a transient in a McDonald’s parking lot on Soto Street. Veronica Rangel explained that her father and stepmother, Maria Vargas, were in the drive-thru when a homeless man began punching Hernandez through an open window. Hernandez exited the car to defend himself, and the two men ended up on the ground.
The video shows Vargas, who is partially blind, getting out of the vehicle and approaching the altercation. During the struggle, the transient bumped Vargas, causing her to fall and hit her head on the concrete. Vargas, 58, was hospitalized, released, and then readmitted, where doctors determined she was brain dead with no hope for recovery.
The suspect in the Boyle Heights attack was reportedly charged with a misdemeanor and released from jail. They are calling on the District Attorney’s Office to take stronger action to prevent similar incidents.
