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LA Firefighter, Mom Charged With Allegedly Beating Woman Feeding Stray Cats

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Los Angeles Fire Department off-duty engineer and his mother were charged Tuesday with allegedly beating a woman who was feeding stray cats in their neighborhood.

Ian Justin Eulian, 37, and Lonieta Antonietta Fontaine, 70, were charged with one felony count each of battery with serious bodily injury and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. Eulian was also charged with an enhancement for causing great bodily harm.

Eulian reportedly leaned into the 47-year-old victim's car and yelled at her in the 2500 block of West View Street in West Adams around 12:20 a.m. Sept. 14.

He then punched her after the woman threw small pieces of cat kibble at him, according to the district attorney's office.

Fontaine is accused of slapping the victim several times.

Eulian then pulled the woman out of her car and allegedly punched her once or twice more as she fell to the ground.

The mother and son helped the victim back into her car and drove her home, where they told her she tripped and hit her face on the car, the D.A.'s office said.

The incident, however, was caught on surveillance cameras.

Eulian's neighbors were outraged about the alleged assault.

"We know him around here, but now he's a piece of mess to us," said David Fuller. "He's a fireman! He's supposed to get us outta houses. He's a criminal to us."

Neighbors also said the victim is known to feed stray cats and dogs in the area every night, but that she never bothers anyone and is friendly.

"I still don't understand why he would do something like that," said Curtis Harman.

Eulian, who has been with the fire department for more than 12 years, has been placed on administrative detail. He's expected to be arraigned Oct. 17 and faces up to seven years in state prison if convicted of all charges.

Fontaine is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 18. She faces a maximum of four years in state prison if convicted.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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