LOS ANGELES, Cali. -- A former Los Angeles city firefighter found guilty of beating a woman who was feeding stray cats in the West Adams neighborhood was sentenced on Tuesday to 180 days in jail, according to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.
Ian Justin Eulian, 39, also received three years of probation, 25 days of Caltrans work and one year of anger management classes during his sentencing in L.A. County Superior Court, the DA's office said in a news release posted by KTLA.
Eulian apologized to the victim, Rebecca Stafford, for the incident in a statement he read to the judge during sentencing. He said he let the city of Los Angeles and the Fire Department down.
After the apology, Stafford told KTLA outside the courthouse that she felt forgiveness and would choose no jail time for Eulian if she could.
"I just felt like I wasn't out for blood. … I feel like he's lost a lot," she said.
Eulian was found guilty on one count of battery with serious bodily injury and one count assault by means likely to producer injury in connection with the beating, which occurred on Sept. 14, 2013, and was captured on surveillance video.
The firefighter claimed he confronted Stafford — who was sitting in her parked car at the time — after the cats the victim was feeding had attacked his dog, prosecutors said.
Eulian leaned into the car and yelled at Stafford, who then threw cat kibble at him, Deputy DA Josh Ritter said, according to the release.
After that, he punched the victim twice before pulling her out of the car and striking her again. She then fell to the ground where she lay unconscious, the release stated.
Eulian did not call for medical aid and tried to convince Stafford, when she became conscious, that she had tripped and hit her face, Ritter said.
"He really allowed his temper to get away from him to a shocking extent," Ritter told KTLA. "It doesn't matter what career you have up until that point, you're going to have to be held responsible for that type of conduct."
Eulian had faced up to seven years in state prison, prosecutors said at the time of his conviction. He has requested an appeal and remains out on $20,000 bond, according to the release.
