The San Fernando Police Department is asking the public for help identifying a man who violently assaulted and robbed a local woman outside her home on Monday afternoon.
The crime happened on April 15 about 3 p.m. on the 200 block of Park Avenue in San Fernando. Juliana Murillo was outside her apartment building, holding a bouquet of flowers she had just purchased for her mother’s birthday, when the suspect attacked her from behind, knocking her to the ground. He then forcefully yanked away Murillo’s purse as she struggled in vain to hold on.
The violent crime was captured on surveillance camera.
“He pushed me really hard and I hit my head on the door,” Murillo told KTLA. “My body just went into shock. I couldn’t process what was going on. I kept saying, ‘What are you doing, what are you doing?’ He used force to turn me over and he pulled out my purse and took off.”
The suspect fled the scene in a dark gray BMW vehicle, said SFPD Lt. Walter Dominguez. The suspect is described as a light-skinned Hispanic male in his early 30s with a dark mustache.
Dominguez said they are reviewing video footage from Flock street cameras to identify similar vehicles potentially involved in the crime, which he described as an “isolated random attack.”
“This was a very violent, brazen attack, [but] as of right now, we haven’t seen an increase in these types of strong-arm robberies,” he told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. While these crimes happen infrequently, Dominguez suggested avoiding isolated situations, being wary of strangers and always “being aware of your surroundings” to reduce the likelihood of being victimized.
Murillo was injured in the attack, including hitting her head and bruising her right knee. The incident also shook her sense of security.
“I was born and raised in San Fernando,” Murillo told KTLA. “I’m a daughter, sister, I’m a friend, a loved one and no loved one should go through this. It was unexpected. It was just traumatic.”
“These types of crimes are very traumatizing [and] it’s very heartbreaking to see this victim experience this,” said Dominguez. “It’s probably going to take her a while to overcome this. … We’re doing our best right now to try to identify the suspect and hopefully have him in custody as soon as possible.
“We don’t have any update as of right now,” he added, “that’s why we’re asking the public if they have any information to give us a call.”
Anyone with information about the crime or the identity of the suspect is asked to contact the SFPD at (818) 898-1267. For more information, go to ci.san-fernando.ca.us/sfpolice.