Suspect returns to Mexico

A Sunday afternoon stroll in Laguna Beach proved life-changing for a Paramount woman, who returned to Mexico Tuesday after she was arrested on a battery charge in Heisler Park.

Aracely Lopez, 19, had no identification, and told police officers she was from Mexico and not in the U.S. legally, officials said.

Lopez told police she had lived in the U.S. since she was a toddler, said Sgt. George Ramos, who was present at the incident.

Lopez was walking with her 24-year-old live-in boyfriend on Cliff Drive overlooking Diver’s Cove at 2 p.m. when the couple began quarreling about whether to walk on the beach below, Laguna Beach Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Lopez began to strike her boyfriend with her purse, then she hit him with her hands, police said.

A Laguna Beach police officer happened to be patrolling in the area during the incident. After observing the escalating fight, he hit the “record” button on his vehicle-mounted video recorder.

The video recorder captures a one-minute interval prior to when the video record button is pushed, Kravetz said.

Lopez was arrested on suspicion of battery and jailed in Laguna Beach on $10,000 bail. She spent Sunday night in jail.

Officers reported Lopez’s citizenship status to the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, which placed a hold on her pending an investigation.

The Orange County District Attorney declined to prosecute the case, because there were no injuries to her boyfriend and no previous history of domestic violence, Kravetz said. In addition, the boyfriend had refused to press charges.

After the district attorney released her, she was taken to the ICE detention center in Santa Ana.

Lopez was offered the option of voluntarily returning to Mexico, which she agreed to do, Virginia Kice, ICE spokeswoman, said Sept. 11.

“She waived her right to a hearing,” Kice said.

Lopez retains the right to return to the U.S. legally in the future.