LOS ANGELES—A man charged with severely beating a longtime valet at the famed Barney’s Beanery restaurant in West Hollywood in a seemingly unprovoked attack pleaded not guilty Thursday to attempted murder and other counts.
Dorian Michael Gray, 28, was charged Tuesday with one felony count each of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and two felony counts each of aggravated mayhem and battery with serious bodily injury, along with two misdemeanor battery counts, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The suspect is accused of attacking Efrain “Frankie” Zarazua around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 14 outside the restaurant at 8447 Santa Monica Blvd. Surveillance video of the attack shows a shirtless assailant knocking Zarazua to the ground then stomping and repeatedly kicking him in the head.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said they believe the same suspect also may have carried out at least four other assaults in the same general area within a 20-minute span, but injuries inflicted in those attacks were not as severe.
“The victim was punched and he was knocked unconscious when he hit the ground, hit his head on the ground,” Sheriff’s Detective Brandon Zeff told reporters Tuesday morning about the attack on Zarazua. “And then the suspect kicked the victim approximately seven times in the upper torso and in the head. Witnesses described him as also stomping on the victim’s head during that incident.”
Gray was arrested last Friday and remains behind bars in lieu of $3.255 million bail, jail records show.
According to an Instagram post by Barney’s Beanery after the attack, Zarazua has worked for the eatery for more than 30 years.
“He is kind, funny and welcoming to everyone he encounters,” according to the restaurant.
The victim’s wife, Irma, wrote on a GoFundMe page in late September that he had been moved out of intensive care and was “on his way to recovery.”
“Given the circumstances of the head injuries he received after the assault, he has a long way of therapy and rehab,” she wrote. “To add on, he also has a broken cheekbone which will heal on its own, but his brain was swelled up and is slowly healing.”
As of late Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $61,000.
Zarazua’s son, Chris, told reporters after the assault that his father could have died in the brutal attack. He said another co-worker at the restaurant had been attacked by the suspect at a nearby bus stop, and another person was attacked nearby.
“I think my dad ... he was trying to see what the commotion was about, and unfortunately he ran across ... the assailant,” he said.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact Zeff at 310-358-4033 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
