V. Stiviano, the woman who recorded Donald Sterling’s racist rant that forced him to sell the Los Angeles Clippers, has alleged that she was targeted after she woke up injured in the street after visiting friends.
As reported by TMZ, Stiviano, born Maria Vanessea Perez, was left with bruises on her face after she blacked out following a visit with friends at the bar of the Ritz-Carlton in Marin del Rey on Wednesday (Jan. 7). The outlet reports that Stiviano filed a police report, and police are "actively investigating the potential hit-and-run."
Stiviano's manager said that she was at the bar for approximately 30 minutes, and blacked out as she crossed the street to get in her car. The manager added that Stiviano didn’t consume any alcohol at the bar, and didn’t even have water. She said she suffered from chipped teeth and asphalt burns across her face.
Her manager said that she believed that she was targeted by someone who was at the hotel bar, and was either hit by a vehicle or attacked by someone she didn’t see. Stiviano recalled feeling drunk when she came to on the median of the road. No one stopped to help her, the manager added. Initially, she believed that her watch was stolen, but she later found it in her car, despite recalling that it was on her wrist when she left the hotel.
She reported the incident to the hotel after driving herself to a nearby hospital. The staff at the hotel informed her that no such attack was recorded on camera. She has since filed a police report with the Los Angeles Police Department, and authorities are investigating the incident as a potential hit-and-run.
Stiviano rose to national attention in 2014 after she recorded Sterling going on a rant to her. She was alleged to have been his mistress, but she later described her role in his life as his “right-hand-arm—man, everything, his confident, his best friend, his silly rabbit.” He criticized her for associating with Black people in the rant, including Lakers legend Magic Johnson. After the scandal, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the NBA for life and fined him $2.5 billion.