A man has been charged in the assault of another man during a playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers earlier this year, officials announced Wednesday.
Bryan Alexis Cifuentes, 33, faces one count of battery with serious bodily injury, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
The incident occurred on Jan. 30, when the victim, 41-year-old Daniel Luna, approached a group of people watching the NFC Championship Game between the rival teams in the parking lot of SoFi Stadium.
“During a confrontation, Cifuentes allegedly knocked the victim out and then fled the area,” officials said.
Luna was left in a medically induced coma after the attack.
Security video showed Luna was mingling with a group of people who appeared to be 49ers fans, and Cifuentes was wearing what appeared to be a Rams jersey, Inglewood Mayor James Butts said during a news conference addressing the incident.
The video showed Luna pushing a person, later identified as Cifuentes, in the back and then turning away before Cifuentes retaliated by pushing Luna in the back and then punching him in the mouth, Butts said.
Less than a week after the incident, Inglewood police traced a vehicle seen in security video and left information for the registered owner that they were looking for someone involved in a potential assault.
They were contacted later that day by Cifuentes, of Los Angeles.
The suspect agreed to talk to officers, who went to his location and accompanied him voluntarily to the Inglewood Police Department where he was interviewed.
Following the interview, Cifuentes was arrested on suspicion of assault by means to produce great bodily injury.
A friend of Luna’s said he was surprised by the incident and said Luna is not an aggressive man.
“Definitely out of character from the Daniel I know … I still can’t believe it to this moment,” Luna’s longtime friend Chauncey Kirtdoll said.
Cifuentes’ cousin who was at the game but didn’t witness the incident said he believes his cousin acted in self defense.
“My cousin was facing the opposite way when he got struck from the back, and just like anybody, you get attacked from your back, you’re going to defend yourself, especially when you’re with your wife, you have to defend her as well,” Chris said.
“We want to continue to ensure that our sporting events are safe for everyone,” said District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release. “We will not tolerate violent behavior at what should have been a joyous occasion for our county.”
