Woman pleads guilty in bat beating

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004 | 9:18 a.m.

A 19-year-old woman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of battery in the beating of a group of women with an aluminum bat in an attack at a park that was caught on videotape.

Lizette Cervantes entered her guilty pleas before Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis this morning and was given a suspended sentence of six months in jail. Cervantes must pay a $500 fine, complete 50 hours of community service, and attend impulse counseling in order to keep from having to serve her jail sentence. Lippis also warned her to stay out of trouble over the next year and to avoid any contact with the victims and witnesses of the Sept. 16 attack in Shadow Rock Park, along Los Feliz Street at Carey Avenue near Sunrise Mountain.

Cervantes originally faced four counts of battery with a deadly weapon and one charge of conspiracy, but the charges were changed by prosecutors in exchange for her guilty plea.

The other defendant in the case, Elvin Avila, 18, has waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Justice Court and is to plead guilty to one count of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm and another count of battery with a deadly weapon at a hearing scheduled for next week.

Avila was originally charged with four counts of battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of battery with substantial bodily harm and two counts of attempted robbery for the attack.