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Long Beach Woman Arrested for Alleged Attack and Robbery on Me… Posted by Long Beach Post on Monday, August 8, 2016
A Long Beach woman was arrested Thursday in connection to an attack and robbery on a Metro Blue Line train in the Rancho Dominguez area, according to authorities.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Bureau officials said that on Tuesday, December 8, between 3:30 and 3:45PM, Aliyah Von Lewis, 18, allegedly approached a female victim and almost immediately began to punch her in the face and body while pulling her purse and backpack from her.
The assault was recorded on the train’s on-board video system and on the cellphone of a witness who posted the video to social media sites, Sheriff’s Transit Bureau official Ramon Montenegro said.
A Facebook community page about Von Lewis and the incident has also been created.
“In the videos, a second suspect, a 17-year-old female, can also be seen attacking the victim by repeatedly punching and kicking her,” Montenegro added. “The victim offered no resistance and appears to be trying to get away from the attackers.”
Von Lewis and the 17-year-old girl were arrested on Thursday and booked on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury, following an investigation by the Sheriff’s Transit Crime Impact Team that included combing social media.
The juvenile suspect’s 15-year-old brother was also identified and arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempting to prevent or dissuade a witness from calling the police and assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury.
Authorities said he is suspected of threatening a witness while the two females attacked the victim.
The victim tried to flee when the train stopped at the Del Amo Station in Rancho Dominguez but was attacked again and more of her property was taken, she told investigators.
She did not report the assault and robbery until the next day, said Montenegro.
Both juveniles were booked into Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
Von Lewis was booked at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood. She is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail as she awaits a December 29 court appearance in Compton, Sheriff’s officials said.
More arrests are possible as the investigation continues, Montenegro said.
City News Service contributed to this report.