Homeless Man Who Comes to Complain About Gardening Equipment Noise Beats Gardener with Stick for Asking Him to Leave

Beats Gardener with Stick for Asking Him to Leave — a violent and deeply unsettling incident has shaken the residents of Los Angeles’s Brentwood neighborhood. What began as a typical workday for local gardener Rodolfo Roman quickly descended into horror when he was savagely attacked by a man upset over the noise from Roman’s gardening equipment.

The attacker, who neighbors say was living illegally in an abandoned house nearby, struck Roman repeatedly with a large stick in broad daylight, leaving him hospitalized with a severe head gash and a broken arm.

Beats Gardener with Stick for Asking Him to Leave

On that quiet Monday morning, Roman, a fixture in the neighborhood and known for his dedicated work, was tending to a yard as usual. Suddenly, a man emerged from a nearby abandoned home, visibly irritated by the sound of leaf blowers and gardening tools. According to witnesses and local news outlets, the man was squatting in the deserted structure and had been the source of growing concern among residents for some time.

The confrontation escalated quickly. Video footage of the attack shows the man complaining to Roman about the noise. Roman, in response, asked the man to leave. What followed was an explosion of violence. The attacker began striking Roman in the head with a long wooden stick. As Roman fell to the ground, attempting to protect himself, the assailant continued hitting him. Even as the gardener raised his arm in self-defense, the blows did not stop.

I hope you’re sitting down, but the guy that tried to beat a gardener to death with his own rake in Gavin Newsom’s lawless California was found and arrested at a nearby homeless encampment. https://t.co/sO2kfuRlr4 pic.twitter.com/8gY5mtBXna

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) June 25, 2025

Roman later described the moment, saying, “I was very scared. My legs were shaking, and I’m down on the ground.” His injuries were severe — a broken arm and a deep wound on his head that required eight staples. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A Neighborhood Under Siege

This was not the first sign of trouble at the abandoned house. The property had long been a source of frustration and fear among neighbors. Braden Yuill, the homeowner who had hired Roman for gardening work, expressed his heartbreak and anger over the incident. “He comes every week and he’s just the most beautiful guy in the world, and he was just covered in blood,” Yuill told KTLA.

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In response to the attack, Yuill launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Roman’s recovery. “Our wonderful gardener, Rodolfo, was violently assaulted by a homeless man that has been living at the abandoned house a few doors up from us,” he wrote. Yuill added that neighbors had made numerous attempts to have the house demolished or secured to prevent illegal occupancy, but their calls to authorities had largely gone unanswered.

Other residents echoed Yuill’s frustrations. Sean Heffron, another neighbor, said the same man who attacked Roman had previously threatened him as well. “He has threatened me, tried to kill me before. He knows who I am. He chases me down this alley,” Heffron revealed in an interview.

The Brentwood community has seen a rise in criminal activity centered around this particular abandoned house. A fire broke out there just a week before the assault, requiring emergency response from the fire department. Police had been called multiple times, but meaningful action was never taken.

The Larger Crisis of Homelessness and Public Safety

While the incident raises urgent questions about law enforcement response and property neglect, it also shines a harsh spotlight on the escalating homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. The attacker, identified as someone squatting in a long-vacant home, exemplifies the growing challenge of dealing with unregulated homeless encampments and abandoned properties in residential neighborhoods.

Homelessness in Los Angeles has reached a critical point. Reports show the number of homeless individuals over the age of 55 is expected to triple in the next five years. The city, known for its stark inequality and housing shortage, has struggled to find a balance between compassion for the unhoused and protection for residents.

Cases like this one — where a vulnerable worker becomes a victim of unchecked aggression — underscore the urgency for comprehensive solutions. It is not enough to sympathize with the homeless; cities must ensure mental health support, secure shelters, and proper management of abandoned spaces. Otherwise, both the homeless population and the general public remain at risk.

The tragedy of Rodolfo Roman’s attack is layered. He was not only injured physically but also left fearful to return to his job. The trauma of being assaulted in broad daylight, during a routine workday, is something no one should have to endure.

A Call for Accountability

The incident has led to increased pressure on local authorities and the owners of the abandoned property. Community members are demanding accountability — from the property owners who allowed the house to fall into neglect, to city officials who ignored repeated complaints.

The Los Angeles Police Department has since arrested the suspect, though they have yet to release full details regarding his identity or legal status. Residents hope this arrest will finally prompt lasting action: whether through securing abandoned homes, increasing patrols, or establishing more responsive emergency protocols.

Yuill’s fundraiser for Roman, initially set with a goal of $2,000, surpassed that figure quickly and now stands at over $3,000. It reflects not just the neighborhood’s affection for Roman but also their collective anger over what happened.

For now, Roman is recovering, but the emotional scars remain. His story is emblematic of a larger problem — one where systemic inaction enables violence, and the most vulnerable end up paying the price.

If Los Angeles is to reclaim its promise as a safe and compassionate city, it must start by listening to voices like Rodolfo Roman’s. He did everything right — showed up for work, did his job, and asked a threatening man to leave. The system failed him, as it has failed many others.

Until that changes, stories like this will continue to surface — stories that remind us how quickly ordinary life can turn into a nightmare when safety is taken for granted.