An Oakland man is in a medically-induced coma at a Southern California hospital after being assaulted outside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood during Sunday's NFC Championship, police said.
Emergency crews responded at 4:05 p.m. to a medical call in parking lot L at the stadium and found Daniel Luna, 40, with severe injuries, Inglewood police Lt. Geoffrey Meeks said Wednesday.
Police said Luna was wearing a 49ers jersey and had injuries to his face, head and upper body.
Luna was rushed to an emergency room at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Southern California and eventually placed into a medically-induced coma, Meeks said.
In a news conference Thursday, Inglewood Mayor James Butts said that Luna was with a group of 49ers fan when he pushed a Rams fan. That's when the suspect pushed Luna back and hit him in the face.
Butts said that the surveillance video of the incident will not be released as he stated it's not in good quality.
At this time, police are looking for a car that was possibly connected to the case but have not released any more details.
The San Francisco 49ers released the following statement: “What happened to Daniel Luna is reprehensible, and we strongly condemn all violence. We know local authorities in Los Angeles are conducting a full investigation and we’re here to support them however we can. Our thoughts and prayers go to Mr. Luna, his family, friends, and the medical team providing him care.”
Luna is the owner and chef of Oakland Peruvian restaurant Mistura, located on Piedmont and Rio Vista avenues.
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Mistura posted a statement on their website Wednesday night that stated that they were temporarily closed.
The attack against Luna is a reminder of the assault on Brian Stow.
Stow, a Bay Area Giants fan was viciously beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot in 2011. Stow sustained brain injury, while his attackers were later caught and convicted.
Police were notified by hospital staff that Luna's injuries apparently stemmed from an assault. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage from the area and conducting an assault investigation, Meeks said.
“We are aware and saddened by the incident. Our thoughts are with Mr. Luna's friends and family during this difficult time. We are working with law enforcement officials in their investigation," said SoFi Stadium in a statament.
Neighbors and patrons near Luna’s restaurant reacted to the news on Thursday. Many of them wondering why he was attacked at the game.
“To have this happen just as like – it’s starting to feel like maybe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe we’re gonna get to a point where we get thru this. To have this happen to Chef Luna is heartbreaking,” said Oakland Coffee Shop owner Alex Bell.
Friends said when Luna wasn’t cranking out Peruvian dishes in his chef’s whites, he was likely wearing some type of Bay Area sports gear.
“In the heat of the moment, in a football atmosphere, in that kind of atmosphere, I think people tend to go overboard,” said Fonzy Gonzales.
According to his Facebook profile, Luna went to Berkeley High, studied business at Cal State East Bay and worked at PG&E before opening up his restaurant.
