Community Raises Over $50,000 for ‘Barney’s Beanery’ Valet Wounded in Street Attack
By Zakir Jamal
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October 16, 2024 (LAPost.com) — Efrain Zarazua was at work in West Hollywood on September 14, when he heard a commotion coming from outside. When he went to assess the situation, a shirtless man shoved him to the ground. The assailant, having allegedly assaulted three other people, shoved Zarazua to the ground before stomping on him and kicking him in the head, Zarazua’s family says.
Afterwards, Zarazua was transported to a hospital, where he was placed in the ICU and diagnosed with numerous injuries to the head and body. His son, Chris, told LAPost.com that he had a severe concussion, broken cheekbone, and several other minor injuries which continue to prevent him from working.
The assailant remains unidentified. While video footage captured by a nearby camera shows some identifying features, such as a beard, green pants, and a white hat, police have not been able to name a suspect.
Efrain, known to customers as “Frankie,” has been a valet for over thirty years at the West Hollywood location of Barney’s Beanery, a longstanding bar and restaurant chain notable for its entertainment-industry clientele.
“He’s very iconic as the valet attendant,” said Chris. Over the course of his tenure, Frankie has become well-known to patrons for his positive attitude and evident love of cars. The chain’s director of operations even called him “basically the face of the business” in an interview with CBS.
In the wake of the attack, Efrain’s wife set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe. Barney’s management advertised the campaign on their social media channels and contributed $10,000.
Within a week, the GoFundMe had met its goal of raising $30,000. As of this writing, it has nearly doubled this target.
Several regulars have left publicly-visible words of support on the fundraiser page, often alluding to the ways Efrain has touched their lives. A person named Carlyle, for instance, donated $500, and said “I have always appreciated you and your demeanor and now wonder who something like this could happen to someone so loving and wonderful.”
Efrain himself is recovering. Chris says he has returned home from the hospital, and his rehabilitation is proceeding apace. However, he still has some cranial swelling, which according to Chris cause periods in which his memory is somewhat unclear. According to Chris, he is still unable to speak to the press, and is not fully aware of what happened to him on September 14th. The Zarazua family does not know when he will be able to return to work.
Efrain and the community of regulars at Barney’s have expressed hope the perpetrator will be apprehended. “They really want to find this person because it’s been already almost a month and just nothing I’ve been done yet,” said Chris. On GoFundMe, a user named Kaitlin Large left the message “Sending love and light Frankie. It’s not fair what happened to you. But you’ve got this! And we will not rest until you’re attacker is found.”
Readers wishing to donate to Efrain’s recovery can do so through his GoFundMe.
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Zakir Jamalzakir@lapost.com8182845620
