“I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate on the everyday things I have to do because I’m worried about my little daughter,” said the victim’s father Enrique Sandoval
A 32-year-old woman was brutally attacked last Wednesday during a robbery at the beauty store she manages in Commerce, Calif., reports ABC News 7, NBC News 4, and Fox News 11.
Marlene Sandoval was severely injured after she tried to prevent four women from robbing the M Beauty store. In surveillance footage, Sandoval was seen outside of the store being pushed, beaten, grabbed by the hair and aggressively thrown to the ground.
The suspects then left Sandoval, who collapsed on the street as she tried to get up. The suspects fled the scene in a white sedan and remain at large as of March 12, per Fox 11.
As a result of the vicious attack, the victim suffered two heart attacks and is now in a coma. Her father, Enrique Sandoval, says Marlene is in need of a transplant, reports ABC 7.
The store owner, Daniel Min, told NBC 4, “We just want justice for Marlene and her family. We are just hoping and praying for the best and for her recovery, and for her to come back.”
“This isn’t how California used to be. I think our state’s judicial system definitely needs to change,” Min told ABC 7. “How the DA prosecutes these individuals should definitely be more aggressive and put these people where they’re supposed to be, like in jail.”
“I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate on the everyday things I have to do because I’m worried about my little daughter,” her father Enrique told ABC 7.
“She is my sunshine. She is the sunshine of my life,” he told NBC 7. “It’s incredible they don’t care about the life of the other person. It was a brutal attack on my daughter.”
“Those girls are having no respect for human beings,” he told Fox 11. “My daughter she is very very responsible for where she works. So she blocked the exit at the store trying to stop those girls with the merchandise.”
“We are praying every day and every night,” continued Enrique.
Marlene’s family also set up a GoFundMe page to assist with her medical expenses. On Wednesday, an update noted that Marlene has had three surgeries since the attack. The GoFundMe shared that Marlene is connected to an ECMO device and Impella — both of which are used for temporary ventricular support.
Along with the GoFundMe, Marlene’s sister created an Instagram account to update followers on her recovery.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department representative did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Thursday.
