Woman punched by police officer as her house burns in California

A young woman was punched and arrested by Huntington Park police officers on the Fourth of July while a fire ravaged the apartment she shared with her parents.

Adriana Hernandez, 27, told ABC7 that the incident happened when a garage fire spread to their apartment. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the blaze at 9:33 p.m. in the 6400 block of Templeton Street, prompting Huntington Park Police to also arrive at the scene.

Adriana Hernandez’ home after the fire (Credit: Adriana Hernandez)

Hernandez said she was trying to reach her father, who was attempting to save his photography equipment from the burning building, but a policewoman held her back. During a brief struggle, the officer punched her in the face.

“She did not care. She just grabbed me from my shirt, she literally ripped my rosary and started striking me in the face three times,” Hernandez told the station.

Cellphone video captured Hernandez calling out for her father in Spanish before being pushed back by the policewoman. Moments later, the officer punched her in the face. Hernandez was then taken into custody for resisting arrest.

The Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a statement to ABC7, it said the incident was “under administrative review to determine the full facts and circumstances resulting in the use of force to ensure compliance with department policy.”

Hernandez expressed her distress over the incident, stating, “It just felt like everything was being taken away from me that fast and it wasn’t even my fault.”

In a GoFundMe account, Hernandez described herself as an only child balancing studies at East Los Angeles Community College and a job at In-N-Out to help her parents. She said the fire, which she blamed on “outdated electrical wiring,” left her family homeless.

“Adding to our challenges, I was subjected to excessive force by a police officer, who unjustifiably struck me three times,” she wrote. The funds raised would help the family navigate homelessness and cover the loss of her father’s equipment.

Adriana Hernandez shows a dark area she said resulted from a Huntington Park Police officer’s punch (Credit: Adriana Hernandez)

The Los Angeles Times reported that Hernandez's home was significantly damaged, and she showed the aftermath of the fire, including the dark marks on her neck where the officer struck her.