Arrested for assaulting celebrity hairdresser Albert Vazquez. A security guard at Heart WeHo was identified, arrested and charged with battery causing serious bodily injury, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said.
The statement from LASD is below.
On Friday, April 5, 2024, at approximately 10:40 p.m., the victim attempted to enter a nightclub in West Hollywood. The suspect, who was working as a security guard, did not allow the victim to enter because the victim did not have proper identification. The suspect and victim had a verbal and physical altercation, and the suspect punched the victim once in the face. The victim fell to the ground and was taken to a nearby hospital.
The suspect was identified and arrested for assault causing serious injury.
Anyone with questions or information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Lombera of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s West Hollywood Station at 310.
358-4028.
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Vasquez’s sister, Gloria Jimenez, told WEHO TIMES that West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department detectives contacted the family earlier today and were able to confirm that the beating took place in front of Heart WeHo. She also said that one of her bodyguards was arrested. The family will be allowed to view surveillance footage to learn exactly what happened on the night of Friday, April 5, 2024. Vazquez was found in a pool of blood with two fractures to his head, a bruised lung and a black eye. And his arms and legs were covered in scrapes and bruises.
“They contacted me and said they had been arrested,” Jimenez said. “We kept saying it was Heart Weho, but it happened at Heart Weho and I was one of the bouncers there. I want to see the footage and I can only watch it because I’m family, so where do I go from there? We’re glad that the arrest has been made and we’re going to take the necessary next steps. We don’t know what those steps are. He’s still recovering. We don’t know how long it will take.”
Albert Vasquez’s family, friends, and supporters relentlessly spread the story to the media and pressured the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department to step up its investigation. They also demanded that Heart WeHo release video footage from that night.
Heart WeHo has issued the following statement in response:
“Heart WeHo remains committed to the safety and well-being of our community. We are aware of the incident that occurred on April 5th and have been proactively working with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department from the beginning. “We have cooperated and assisted in the investigation. We have provided the authorities with unrestricted access to our security footage,” Heart WeHo’s statement said. “If you have additional information regarding this incident, please come forward and support the West Hollywood Department’s efforts to ensure the safety and security of our neighborhoods.”
Authorities said Hart Weehoe was asked not to release the footage to her family until authorities could first examine it.
Jimenez noted that Heart WeHo turned over the surveillance footage to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Office on Monday, 10 days after the incident.
Ten days after Vasquez arrived at the hospital, doctors discovered a second skull fracture on the other side of Vasquez’s head, according to his family. It was also discovered after the fact that he had bruises on his lungs, but they went unnoticed while he was in the hospital.
However, despite the newly discovered injury, Albert appears to be on the road to recovery. He had been in a coma for a day when he was taken to the hospital, but is now awake and seems aware of his surroundings. He will begin treatment this week and will remain in the hospital for another week and a half. He hasn’t talked about what happened to him Friday night. The main reason for this is that he is on a large amount of medication, and the nurses believe it is too early to pressure him into reliving the trauma.
Jimenez is grateful for the community’s support and persistence in holding investigators accountable and demanding answers. She also thanked the public for their generosity in helping cover her medical costs.
The link to the gofundme campaign is below.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/58sc3t-albert-needs-our-help?qid=a3251f085a93501899de6c4ca52593bd
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