Last week, an agent in our office walked across the street to grab lunch.
While he was waiting at the crosswalk, a homeless woman illegally crossed the street and started walking toward him.
He could tell she was clearly tweaked out, so he stepped aside and turned to let her pass.
Then she grabbed him by the shirt and started attacking him.
With only a hydro flask in hand, he hits her on the head. She barely notices and continues attacking him repeatedly.
He continues to fight back until she finally lets go. She then starts screaming at him and threatening his life.
This didn't happen on Skid Row, it happened at 2:30 PM in broad daylight in Encino, CA - one of the more affluent areas in LA.
After the homeless lady finally walks away, still screaming to herself, he calls the police.
He then proceeds to sit there for an hour waiting. The police never come.
At 9:30 PM, 7 hours after the incident, the police call and say they've arrived.
By now he's home, the attacker is miles away, and realizing the futility of his efforts, he doesn't open an investigation.
This crime now goes unreported and LA politicians can tout that crime has decreased.
This is the reality of what it's like living in LA. Stories like this are not uncommon.
Thankfully this agent was able to go home to his family after this, with only a crazy story to tell and nothing worse.
But imagine if she had a needle in her hand when she hit him, or a knife.
Crime in LA has not gone down, no matter what they try to tell you, it's just extremely underreported by worn out citizens in a broken system that needs a complete overhaul.