A Long Beach ice cream vendor, Eliu Ramirez, is recovering from serious injuries after he said he was assaulted while working near the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier on the Fourth of July. Ramirez’s eye is still swollen and purple following the holiday attack.
He said the assault began when a group of men demanded that Ramirez leave the area. After he refused to do so, the men turned violent. Ramirez recalled that one of the men claimed to have owned the beach and demanded he left. After Long Beach police officers in the area corrected that man and said it was a public space, Ramirez said another man repeated the warning on behalf of who he said was “the boss.” Minutes later, a third man approached the vendor and struck him in the face.
Ramirez said doctors told him his nose was broken in three places, his cheekbone was fractured, and there was damage sustained to his vision. The victim said the attack left him unable to work and support his family.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
