Attack by homeless man in L.A. leaves woman, 52, with broken nose, concussion
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.
2 brothers reported missing found dead off California highway
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.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Arrest made in frightening Orange County road-rage related hate crime
A 54-year-old Irvine man has been arrested and is facing charges in connection with a road rage-related hate crime and investigators believe there could be additional victims, officials announced Thursday. The alleged assault unfolded on July 22 at around 9:30 a.m. on Sand Canyon Avenue near Interstate 5, the Irvine Police Department said in a news release. It's unclear exactly how the beginning of the ordeal unfolded, though police said the victim was driving in the southbound lanes of Sand Canyon Avenue when he encountered Leon Tackett yelling at a Hispanic truck driver. After passing the initial altercation, Tackett followed the victim and proceeded to aggressively swerve into his lane multiple times, nearly causing several collisions. 'Tackett shouted racial slurs at the victim before throwing a cup of hot coffee into the victim's vehicle,' the release stated. 'The liquid landed on the victim's face, hands, and on the interior of his car.' Body of person who died on international flight to California reportedly unaccounted for Most of the scary interaction was filmed by the victim, with a family member later posting the footage to social media and reporting the incident to Irvine police on Wednesday evening. 'Today, at around 2:30 p.m., Tackett was taken into custody for a hate crime and aggravated assault,' investigators said. KTLA has so far been unable to locate footage of the incident posted to social media. Authorities believe there might be additional victims of the 54-year-old, as well as others who might have witnessed the most recent incident. Anyone with additional information or footage of the alleged crime is urged to email rsteen@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Bodies of 3 men recovered from Mississippi River after swimming, fishing on sandbar
The bodies of three men were recovered from the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday after they went missing while fishing and swimming on a sandbar. The victims, who ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s, were reported missing Tuesday evening near a boat ramp at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, about 13 miles north of Memphis, authorities said. Advertisement Search and rescue teams with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and other Memphis-area agencies began looking for the men Tuesday evening and eventually had to call off the search because of darkness, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. The search, which included aircraft, rescue boats, drones and the use of sonar, resumed Wednesday morning. The first two bodies were recovered at about 11 a.m. and the third at around 12:45 p.m., the sheriff's office said. A cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. Advertisement The victims, who authorities said were all Hispanic, were identified as Marlon Mendez, 28, Rudy Perez, 31, and Jose Yanes, 52. Authorities said the men had been fishing and swimming on a sandbar – a natural ridge of sand formed when fast-moving water slows and deposits sediment. In rivers like the Mississippi, sandbars can be unstable and collapse under weight or shifting currents. AP Officials say the area has become increasingly popular but the river is treacherous, with several other hazards including strong currents, submerged items, branches and debris. Advertisement 'There are eddy currents that can pull an Olympic swimmer under. You can be drawn into the channel and find yourself staring at a 24-unit barge that's the size of a skyscraper on its side coming straight at you with no way for the barge crew to have any idea that you are there,' the fire department said on Facebook. Yanes' family told Fox 10 News that he has six children, the youngest of whom is 12 years old. Shelby County Sheriffs Office Doug Ammons, the owner of a general store a few miles from the river, told the outlet that the river is 'lethally dangerous.' Advertisement 'This is a horrific tragedy right here, and it happens way too often,' Ammons said. 'But I understand how it happens. The probability of one-on-one taking on the mighty Mississippi, you're going to lose. Especially without a flotation device.' The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Irvine man arrested for apparent hate crime during road rage incident
Irvine police arrested a 54-year-old man after he allegedly shouted racial slurs and threw a hot cup of coffee at a Hispanic driver on Tuesday morning. The road rage incident that's being investigated as a hate crime happened on Sand Canyon Avenue near the 5 Freeway, according to the Irvine Police Department. Detectives said Robert Leon Tackett, 54, started shouting at the other driver before following the victim through Irvine. Tackett allegedly drove aggressively and swerved into the victim's lane multiple times, nearly causing a crash. After, Tackett threw a hot cop of coffee that landed on the victim's face, hands and car interior, according to Irvine PD. Police said the victim recorded most of the incident and a family member posted it onto social. The driver contacted Irvine police late Wednesday night, and officers arrested Tackett the following day for a hate crime and aggravated assault. Detectives asked any possible victims, witnesses, or people with additional footage of the incident to contact the investigators at rsteen@
