Heroic woman who saved man from mob violence in downtown L.A. speaks out

A Good Samaritan who came to a man’s rescue while he was being attacked and robbed by a mob of bicycle-riding teenagers in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month is speaking out about the harrowing incident.  

The victim, Shailoobek Bazarbai Uulu, who sustained a broken leg, along with deep lacerations and cuts all over his body during the terrifying Aug. 2 ordeal at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street, said he’s still shaken and recovering.

The violence, according to Uulu, started when the group of teens pulled in front of his vehicle. When the light turned green, he attempted to pass them. That’s when he said one of the bicyclists threw a bottle of water in his car.  

Confused about what happened, he pulled over and got out of his car. He said the group of roughly 30 teens then surrounded him, with the situation turning violent quickly.   

Footage of the violent assault was captured by a witness who happened to walk up on the mob as they assaulted him, stole items, including his backpack, documents, wallet, cash and credit cards, out of the vehicle, shattered the windows and stomped on the hood and trunk of his car.  

In the video, Uulu is seen barefoot, limping as he’s pushed and punched in the back of the head by several of the teens.  

“The whole incident was very inhumane,” said Janeth Garcia, who was driving for Uber Eats when she happened on the attack.

That’s when Garcia decided to risk her own safety and stepped into the scrum to shield Uulu as he was being pummeled by the teens.  

“I found my way in and got to him because it was a very sensitive thing to see,” she told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “I held him and took him in my arms and walked him to a safer environment.”  

In his own telling of the attack, Uulu said Garcia saved his life. 

“Suddenly someone pulled me out and she just literally saved my life,” he told KTLA. “It was a young lady, take me to the side and hugged me.”  

While Uulu insists he did nothing to provoke the attack, in video of the incident, one bicyclist can be seen and heard telling the man recording that Uulu cut them off and almost hit one of them, sparking the violence.  

“As soon as he passed the light, they started throwing items in his car and banging on his car,” Garcia explained. “As anyone would, he got out to check his car.”  

In his own words, Uulu described the experience as a nightmare, leaving with an injury that will need future surgery, his property stolen, and $20,000 worth of damage done to his car.  

“He was so defenseless. He did not want to pick a fight,” Garcia said. “I consider myself a person who did the right thing, as anyone should when you see incidents like that happen.” 

A GoFundMe has been organized to help Uulu recover from the losses.  

As for the teens, they fled the scene before police arrived and were last seen heading toward L.A. Live. So far, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, no arrests have been made.  

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact LAPD’s Central Station 213-486-6606. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.