Police under scrutiny for keeping apparent beating of fan outside SoFi Stadium a secret for days

Questions are swirling around the apparent beating of a man outside SoFi Stadium during Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams, and why the Inglewood Police Department waited several days to inform the public about the incident.

Daniel Luna, a 40-year-old restaurant owner and 49ers fan, was discovered bleeding in the stadium parking lot about 30 minutes after the game started. The Los Angeles Times reports that it's unclear who called 911 about Luna. He is now hospitalized in a medically induced coma.

The Times says the Inglewood Police Department didn't learn about what happened to Luna until about three hours later, after emergency room personnel informed them Luna had wounds suggesting he had been attacked. On Wednesday, after an inquiry from the Times, the Inglewood Police Department confirmed the incident.

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The Super Bowl will be held at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, and earlier Wednesday, there was a news conference about COVID-19 safety protocols at the game, but no mention was made of the beating. Horace Frank, a former assistant police chief in Los Angeles who oversaw game security operations, told the Times the assault should have been made public sooner because "the perpetrator is a public safety hazard and a threat to the community. You want to get the persons responsible for this heinous attack into custody as soon as possible."

Experts are now wondering if there will be adequate security measures in place before the Super Bowl. Two law enforcement officials told the Times some portions of SoFi Stadium's parking lots are not fully covered by cameras, and management has been encouraged to have Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies on hand to supplement security. Last week, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said 380 of his personnel will be at the stadium for the Super Bowl.

Luna's beating is a reminder of the 2011 attack against San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow outside Dodger Stadium. In that case, there were witnesses and the beating was reported to the media within hours. Inglewood Police have not released any information on suspects in the attack on Luna, and said they are looking at video footage to try to determine who was involved in his beating.