Against his doctor’s advice, Long Beach resident Israel Maciel had no intention of taking three months off work. His family needed him.
When abdominal surgery left him unable to do his regular job painting houses a year ago, he pivoted to selling snacks that his wife makes in their Washington neighborhood apartment.
“I was cooped up, and I wanted to get out. I wanted to do something,” Maciel said in Spanish. “The bills and everything else, they don’t wait.”
For about four hours each day, Maciel walked up and down Pacific Avenue selling spicy pistachios, chili-covered peanuts, candied almonds and walnuts $1 at a time at laundromats, barbershops and mechanics. On a good day, he took home between $80 and $100.
On slow days, he still enjoyed chatting with his neighbors. He’s kept at it even after returning to his painting job.
But two weeks ago on a Saturday night, while selling at a laundromat on Pacific Avenue near Pacific Coast Highway, a man he had never seen before suddenly walked up to Maciel, punched him in his right eye and stole a handful of snacks, all without saying a word.
Security camera footage outside of the laundromat captured the seemingly random act.
In the footage, Maciel is holding a tray of nuts in the parking lot when the man attacks. The video showed Maciel stumbling to the ground while his assailant turned to walk back into the laundromat.
Maciel said a woman, one of his regular customers, rushed to his aid and called 911.
When help arrived, Maciel had to call his wife because — stunned — he couldn’t remember basic info, like their home address.
About an hour later, officers arrested 45-year-old Charles Erby outside the laundromat on suspicion of robbery, according to jail records.
When they booked him into jail, Erby listed his home address as the Multi-Service Center in West Long Beach, the city’s primary hub for homelessness services.
It’s not the first time Erby has allegedly victimized someone outside the laundromat. On June 17 in Long Beach Superior Court, Erby pleaded not guilty to one count of felony robbery and one misdemeanor count of theft at the same location more than two years ago, according to court records. If convicted of the new crime, he could face up to 5 years in prison.
While Maciel is happy his alleged assailant is behind bars, he said the attack has had a ripple effect on his daily life.
He hasn’t been out selling in two weeks. When he does go back out, he said he’ll no longer sell at night.
His daughter, Diana Maciel, started an online fundraiser aiming to collect $2,400 to cover the medical costs of his hospital stay. Her dad doesn’t have insurance, so they’re anticipating a costly medical bill, but they don’t yet know the exact total.
So far, they’ve raised just over $1,100.
With the bruising almost gone from his right eye, the family has had glimpses of their life before the attack.
Israel still loves to joke around and embarrass his two daughters.
On Sunday, they stayed in and celebrated Father’s Day and Israel’s birthday with a cake and candles, his daughter Diana said.
“My father has spent years working tirelessly, treating people with kindness and earning an honest living,” she wrote on the online fundraiser. “Seeing him hurt in this way has been heartbreaking.”