The family who lost their loved one during a violent incident outside a Los Angeles area library in September is suing the city of Downey for $40 million in damages.
The tragedy happened when 68-year-old Reinaldo Jesus LeFonts was charging his Tesla outside the Downey City Library, the New York Post reported Sunday.
Law enforcement said a homeless man identified as Giovanni Navarro, who had been convicted of nearly 30 crimes, stabbed him. However, when paramedics arrived to tend to the victim, another homeless man, identified as Nicholas DeMarco, allegedly stole the ambulance they arrived in and wrecked it, leaving LeFonts to die at the scene.
A witness recorded video footage of the ambulance being driven through a parking lot as a person who appeared to be a first responder chased it on foot:
The claim the victim’s family filed said, “In that moment, every second mattered. The City’s paramedics and rescue vehicle were Reinaldo’s only realistic chance of survival.”
The document also said police had arrested Navarro for trespassing in the hours before the stabbing, and an attorney for the family said the city knew the parking lot was dangerous and the ambulance was not properly equipped but failed to remedy the issues.
In September, Fox 11 reported the “Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed one count of murder against Navarro. They also filed two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of vehicle theft and one count of felony reckless evading against DeMarco.”
The library where the stabbing occurred is located south of Democrat-run Los Angeles, near Bell Gardens.
Following the incident, a Fox 11 reporter said there were growing concerns about the homeless population in the area and violence, adding the victim was stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver:
“This shouldn’t be a transient hangout. My heart goes out to the mentally ill, I know they need help. But we’re talking about murderers; we’re talking about criminals,” one resident told the outlet in September.
