Blog Post

Los Angeles School Teacher Charged with Battery and Assault


September 20, 2007
Topic: Assault and Battery

A Los Angeles school teacher has been charged with three counts of battery in a scuffle that took place in November last year on Rancho Pensaquitos Boulevard in San Diego, California. The trial centers on the midday brawl that 36 year old John Matthew Monti had with a couple of day laborers at a hiring site. Prosecutors allege that Monti accosted a group of Mexican day laborers under the Highway 56 overpass, and attacked two of them. One of the men Estanislao Gonzalez testified at the trial, describing in detail how Monti punched him, chased him into the street, knocked him to the ground and proceeded to beat him up. Three hate crime charges have also been filed against Monti, based on the allegations that he violated the victims' civil rights. San Diego Deputy City Attorney Scott Pirello alleged in his opening statement that the Los Angeles school teacher made racially based remarks during his alleged assault.

Both sides blame each other for initiating the brawl. Monti's attorney contends that he was there to take photographs of the day laborers when he was attacked from behind because they didn't like him taking their pictures. The laborers allege that Monti was the one to initiate the assault. Pictures taken by the police soon after the incident however show Monti bruised and bloody, his cell phone and camera broken.

The trial is expected to last into next week.

It is downright childish to allow political beliefs to turn into violence. If Monti is found guilty of the crimes charged against him, hopefully the resulting sentence will be a clear message of the tragedy that can result when someone lets their passions get the better of them.

While the criminal courts can be effective in ensuring perpetrators of assault and battery are put behind bars, they do not cover the medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering that may result. To recover compensation, victims must retain an experienced assault and battery lawyer from a respected personal injury law firm. The personal injury lawyers at The Reeves Law Group have years of experience helping people put their lives back together after suffering serious injury, and offer free consultations to victims of assault and battery who may be interested in pursuing a civil claim.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.