A worker at SoFi Stadium is accused of hurting a 12-year-old girl when he flipped her mom’s hot dog cart while the woman was using the restroom.
Marlene Morales was watching the cart with her siblings at a concert outside the stadium Saturday when several witnesses say the employee, identified by the stadium as a third-party vendor who has been fired, flipped the cart, scattering the family’s potential earnings onto the ground.
“He was being very aggressive,” said Graciee Sifuentes, who recorded video of the aftermath. She said the employee seemed to have targeted the girl.
Another vendor said the employee was telling him and the children to back up, which they did. He then asked them if they wanted to see him get mad before he knocked their carts over, according to the second vendor.
Video then shows Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies tapping the employee on the arm while apparently signaling for him to walk back toward the stadium.
“We just need you guys to back up to the other side of the street. I’m sorry about this,” one deputy said to outraged people.
Marlene told NBC Los Angeles that she’s doing better, but she was initially barely able to walk because her leg was hurt during the incident.
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“It’s very hard to see someone treat your children badly,” Lesbia Tol Morales said.
Morales said her family invested in the cart and food to sell on weekends to make ends meet. They drove all the way from Bakersfield to capitalize on concert crowds, and now they are out of hundreds of dollars.
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"As migrants, we come here to fight. We don’t come to steal. We live here fighting day after day and it’s a shame there are people like this," Morales said, fighting back tears.
Someone filed a police report, but it was unclear if anyone was arrested.
“They’re advertising and promoting, you know, Latino events, and this is how they’re going to treat our people? That’s not OK,” Sifuentes said.
In a statement, SoFi Stadium said it has fired the third-party vendor accused in the altercation.
“We are aware that an incident occurred Saturday night outside of the stadium and are working with law enforcement to look into the matter," the stadium said in a statement. "The individual involved was employed by a third-party vendor, and we have been advised that he has since been terminated. Maintaining a safe environment is our number one priority, and we will continue to regularly evaluate staffing and protocols across all of our vendors to ensure an enjoyable entertainment experience."
