A 20-year-old woman who allegedly clobbered a man with a metal club outside a Manhattan Beach supermarket in January pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor assault and petty theft charges.
Latheda September Butler of Los Angeles is charged with one count each of assault with a deadly weapon — a steering wheel lock — and attempted petty theft of baby formula, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Butler saw herself on a news broadcast and surrendered Monday at the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Street Station, according to Manhattan Beach police Sgt. Tim Zins.
The alleged attack occurred about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 4, after two suspects were seen shoplifting at a Ralphs supermarket in the 2700 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard, according to the sergeant.
“A witness observed two female suspects shoplifting,” Zins said. “When the suspects noticed they were being watched, they fled from the store.”
When the witness followed the suspects outside to see what vehicle they would get into, they tried to hide the license plate and one of them — later identified as Butler — allegedly whacked the man over the head with a metal club before they drove off, Zins said.
The witness ended up with a bump on his head, but wasn’t hospitalized, according to the sergeant, who said the second suspect is still at large.
Butler is due back in a Torrance courtroom for a pretrial hearing on April 12.
— City News Service