Assailant Throws Acid in Face of Girl, 4, at Park

A 4-year-old La Habra girl suffered burns on her face, chest and legs during a family visit to Los Coyotes Regional Park when an unidentified man threw two cups of acid at her, Buena Park police said Sunday.

The attack occurred as Rachel Ogawa and her mother, Elaine, were leaving a restroom after a Saturday afternoon picnic at the park, police said.

The girl’s father and younger sister had left to bring the car around about 5 p.m. when Rachel and her mother stopped at the restroom. When they went back outside, a man described as a Latino between 18 and 20 years old was standing just outside the door.

“They confront each other, he says nothing to her, he doesn’t ask for money, he doesn’t make any kind of a statement,” Officer Terry Branum said.

The man quickly threw the contents of two plastic cups in the girl’s face, and the liquid ran down her chest and legs, Branum said. Though the substance had not yet been identified, the officer said it was “some kind of clear liquid acid, as best we can tell at this point.”

Witnesses said the assailant fled in a faded yellow pickup truck.

The child was reported in fair condition Sunday at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton with first- and second-degree burns to her face, chest and legs. Although it was feared she may have suffered some corneal damage from the attack, nursing supervisor Susan Barr said hospital officials are “pretty much” optimistic that she will retain her vision.

“Her eyes are very swollen, and it’s difficult for her to open them, so it’s hard to tell, but we think so,” Barr said.

“She has burns all over the front of her body,” her father, Gary Ogawa said. “I spent the night with her in the hospital, and she’s trying to sleep. She doesn’t appear to be in any pain, which is surprising. But she’s not the type to complain.”

Ogawa said the family had not spoken to anyone else during their picnic.

“It was a nice day and we went out to the park in the afternoon to have lunch. We were just sitting under our own little tree, and we were finally getting ready to leave the park right at closing time,” he said.

Branum said laboratory tests were under way to identify the substance and any fingerprints left on the cups, which were recovered.