A woman brutally assaulted by an alleged transient in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood is calling on city officials to do more to keep residents safe.
The violence unfolded on June 18 when Donna DeChristopher, 52, was walking home from running errands in what she describes as a normally safe, walkable area near her residence on Sunset Drive.
The 52-year-old spotted a homeless man that she’s seen in the area and believes lives in a nearby encampment not far from Thomas Starr King Middle School.
She says the man, described as a Hispanic male in his 20’s, ran up to her and punch her in the face at least three times before she went unconscious.
The 52-year-old, who said she suffered a concussion, a broken nose, complications with her eye and psychological street from the traumatic assault, said she may have been hit again while she was on the ground and blacked out.
Fortunately, a Good Samaritan who witnessed what happened came to help her.
The 52-year-old is now calling on the police department, the district attorney and city leaders to do more to prevent these attacks, especially since there are children in the area who attend the nearby middle school.
“I know that so much is going on right now, but this should not be falling through the cracks,” DeChristopher told KTLA News. “If this happens to me, I’m vocal. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. Who else has he attacked that he has hurt that is too afraid to come forward? Who is he going to hurt the next time he’s out on the streets?”
Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents DeChristopher’s district released the following statement:
“While our work has yielded results, including a 40% drop in the number of people living on the streets in our district last year, much more remains to be done and we will continue to deploy every resource available toward address this issue.”
Just days after she was attacked, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested a homeless man believed to be DeChristopher’s attacker, who has reportedly trespassed onto properties in the area.
The man had a previous warrant out for his arrest and is currently being held without bail.
KTLA has reached out to the district attorney’s office for confirmation, asking if that arrest is linked to DeChristopher’s assault and, if so, what charges he will likely be facing.
