Man Slams Dump Truck Into Wife's Home Over Divorce

Source: General / Radio One

A man in South Los Angeles was caught on camera smashing a dump trump into the home of his estranged wife over the weekend. The victim Patricia Dunn told ABC 7 that her husband flew into an uncontrollable rage because of their ongoing divorce.

“He’s verbally abusive and I have nothing nice to say,” she said after the dump truck incident.

The scary incident occurred Jan. 15, near the area of 107th street and Normandie, in South L.A.’s Westmont neighborhood. During the chilling domestic dispute, Dunn said that her soon-to-be ex-husband, Ronald Dunn, drove by her house three times.

First, he drove by in a Chevy Impala and crashed into the garage of the home while Dunn was inside. Minutes later, he returned with a massive dump truck and smashed into her bedroom. In the video, which was caught on camera by a neighbor, Ronald can be seen slamming into parked cars on the street as he carried out the violence with a dump truck.

According to Dunn, Ronald finished out the attack by slamming his Impala into the home for a second time.

“I was just trying to stay out of the way,” she recalled of the chilling experience. “So I don’t know if he was drunk or under the influence. I never experienced anything like this in my life.”

Earlier this month, Dunn filed for a restraining order against her husband which made him angry, CBS News noted. Since the attack, she has considered relocating. Dunn fears her husband may return to do more damage.

 “A man under that kind of rage – who’s to say what he might do?” she said. “He was trying to kill me. He really was.”

Social media slams LAPD for their slow response

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it took over 30 minutes before law enforcement arrived on the scene. Authorities say that the initial call came in as a traffic collision and not a crime, which led to their slow response. But Dunn isn’t buying the excuse. She believes that the police could have stopped Ronald if they had responded more quicker.

“All of this damage wouldn’t have happened because he came back three times, and they weren’t even here,” Dunn added to CBS. 

Online, social media users echoed similar sentiments.

“Police response was unacceptable,” one Twitter user commented, while another person chimed in, “This poor woman.  Been there. Police & courts refuse to protect until they assault or worse even w/a recorded history of convictions and protection orders. Such a vicious cycle. I hope she is safe.”

On TikTok, a neighbor who was present during the dump truck debacle said that when police arrived, only one cop car showed up.

“They were only aware of the fact that when we first called we thought he was just drunk driving. After multiple calls from multiple neighbors, still only one car showed up,” the user’s post read. “Someone seriously could have been hurt and the lack of urgency from the people we are supposed to feel safe around is terrible.”

Black women experience intimate partner violence at a higher rate

Dunn’s harrowing assault is far too common in the Black community. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), more than 40 percent of Black women have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner during a relationship. Sadly, more than half of Black adult female homicides are related to intimate partner violence. The NCADV believes that intimate partner violence is a systemic issue.

“By intentionally denying Black people access to economic opportunities, the ability to build intergenerational wealth, healthcare, education, and a sense of safety from governmental systems, racist policies increase the prevalence of risk factors for domestic violence,” the organization says on their website.

Many domestic dispute cases often go uninvestigated due to a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. Some women of color feel as though they’ll be attacked or face harsh punishment for reporting their assault.

“They are often treated differently than a white survivor reaching out for support. Survivors think they won’t be believed, and they’re also scared they’re going to be attacked. Is this going to be flipped on them and turned into something else?” Jacqueline Willett, a social worker at the Coburn Place Intake and Well-Being Services said of the complex issue.

 “I’ve worked with minority survivors over the years who ended up getting criminal cases due to trying to protect themselves when it’s more than apparent that’s what it was. So people of color suffer in silence because of that – not being believed, being arrested, being looked at as the aggressor.”

In 2020, Black and Brown women represented 53 percent of domestic violence arrest cases, according to C-Hit.org.

“It’s not surprising that Black women are getting arrested in a domestic violence incident at a higher rate. They call the police and wind up arrested,” said Jassette Henry, a senior assistant public defender in New Britain and a tri-chair of the Racial Justice and Cultural Competency Committee.

 “It’s also about how they are treated in the system and what kind of hoops they have to go through to get a favorable disposition. It’s very disturbing. This is a real issue.”

If you or someone you know is in grave danger from domestic abuse, call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE(7233). 

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