Woman fights for her life after attack at Boyle Heights McDonald's

A woman is fighting for her life after an attack at a McDonald's drive-thru in Boyle Heights earlier this year. 

The altercation happened on March 9th at about 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of N. Soto Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue. The family claimed that 74-year-old Jose Juan Rangel Hernandez and his wife Maia Guadalupe Vargas Luna, 58, stopped at the McDonald's to grab food before her dialysis treatment. 

While they were in the drive-thru, an aggressive panhandler approached the couple and started to attack Rangel-Hernandez. The 74-year-old tried to defend himself but was wrestled to the ground before getting repeatedly beaten.

After hearing the commotion, Vargas-Luna walked toward the commotion to help her husband. The suspect bumped her, causing her to hit her head on the ground, according to the family. 

Parademics rushed Vargas-Luna to the hospital, but she suffered a heart attack on ride over. She eventually recovered enough for doctors to send her home. However, a few days later, she suffered a seizure and was again rushed to the hospital. Doctors declared her brain dead and plan to take her off life support shortly. 

The man who attacked the couple was released on March 28 after investigators determined the homeless man accidentally hit her. They determined Vargas tripped and fell to the ground. Because of this, the Los Angeles District Attorney dropped the felony charges and charged the man with a misdemeanor.

"That guy should be brought to justice," daughter Samantha Rangel said. "That guy is just loose on the street. He's probably causing more crimes to other families, hurting more people. We're here suffering. My mom is on the verge of passing and we're never going to be able to speak to her. I'm never going to see her ever again. I just don't know what to do. I'm just here at the hospital hoping she comes back to us."