A Studio City homeowner has been released from the hospital and is facing a long recovery after allegedly being attacked with a metal pole by a homeless man outside of his home.
According to the victim’s wife, Cecilia Guile, two men had set up a campsite in a wooded area near their driveway, just off busy Ventura Boulevard, and had been there for several days.
“I want to feel safe, and I never thought they would be violent, but you know, I unload my groceries here and I want to be able to do that without having to look over my shoulder and worry,” Guile told KTLA.
Guile said that she called police but was told there was not much they could do other than ask the men to leave.
When the problems continued, Guile’s husband, who did not want to be identified, stepped in and asked the men to relocate.
According to Guile, that’s when one of the men became violent and started striking her husband from behind with a metal pole.
Her husband was rushed to the hospital with a broken scapula and three fractured ribs.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Guile told KTLA. “If he had been hit over the head or in the spinal column, he wouldn’t be here, and I really don’t want that to happen to anyone else.”
Steve Down, Guile’s neighbor, heard the attack from his balcony.
“We hear people arguing, homeless people in the neighborhood, frequently, but this one sounded very violent,” Down said. “I could hear a physical fight happening and I heard the word ‘kill,’ somebody was saying. So I called 911 at that point.”
In security footage shared with KTLA by Down, one of the men can be seen leaving his front yard. Guile said it’s the same man who she believes attacked her husband before leaving the area.
Guile said she has now filed paperwork with the Los Angeles Police Department to get signage that lets people know about the consequences of trespassing.
“I, as a citizen, have rights and I want to feel safe,” she told KTLA.
The neighborhood has also gotten together to install fencing and other kinds of protections in the area.
Down told KTLA that since the pandemic, the area where they live attracts quite a few homeless encampments.
“I think they’ve left for now, but the area, where it is, right off of Ventura Boulevard, somebody will move in shortly,” he said.
Down also said he’s reached out to the senior lead at LAPD, to his council members and to the Mayor’s office in hopes of bringing attention to the issues.
Anyone who may recognize the man in the video is urged to contact LAPD.