A 34-year-old woman reported suffering severe injuries during a robbery after attending a World Cup viewing event in Southern California last week. Adding to her distress, she claimed that bystanders did not intervene to assist her.
Jennifer Silva recounted to KTLA that the terrifying attack took place on June 18 just outside a Hooters located in downtown Long Beach.
According to Silva, after she finished watching an intense soccer match at the restaurant, she was suddenly attacked by a thief.
“The last thing I recall was someone grabbing my purse while saying, ‘I’m going to need that,’” Silva detailed.
The assailant relentlessly beat her in an attempt to seize her possessions, resulting in a broken jaw, a dislocated wrist, and a fractured finger.
The suspect ended up taking her property before fleeing the scene.
When the woman, who also lost teeth and suffered cuts and bruises in the altercation, realized what had just happened, she said she noticed bystanders not doing a thing to make sure she was all right.
“There were crowds around me and nobody called 911,” Silva said. “Nobody helped me. I got attacked violently and I don’t know why.”
Silva was eventually spotted by police around 30 minutes after the incident and transported to a nearby hospital.
She wrote in a GoFundMe set up to pay for her medical bills that she’ll now need reconstructive jaw surgery and multiple dental procedures to fix her injuries.
“It’s a long road of recovery,” she said. “A long road of, ‘You need to get this done, you need to get that done.’ I know I’m going to get through this, but it’s taking a lot of strength to keep it together.”
The Long Beach Police Department is investigating the matter, but no suspects have been identified, according to KTLA.