Olympic volleyball medalist Kim Glass said she was brutally attacked Saturday by a homeless man in Los Angeles.
Glass, 37, shared her experience on Instagram, revealing the facial injuries she sustained during the attack. The Olympian was leaving a lunch with a friend in downtown Los Angeles when a homeless man ran up to her, according to the story highlight.
“He just looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes,” Glass told her followers. “Before I knew it, a big metal bolt, like, [a] pipe, hit me,” she continued, “It happened so fast. He literally flung it from the street.” Glass felt something was wrong right before the attack and turned to tell her friend that she was concerned the man was about to hit the car they were presumably about to enter.
GRAPHIC: Olympic Medalist Kim Glass was BRUTALLY ATTACKED by a homeless man in Los Angeles, CA after having lunch with friends. She says the homeless man had some sort of metal pipe.
Random acts of violence are rampant with the increasing homeless community, and soft-on-crime DA pic.twitter.com/dn760HeDx6
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) July 11, 2022
Glass noted that someone held the homeless man down until the police and emergency services arrived. Though one of her eyes appeared to be swollen shut from the impact, she said her vision should be okay. She also received “amazing” stitching from a doctor, she continued.
The pipe hit Glass across her upper face, which fractured in at least two places, she described. (RELATED: REPORT: Homeless Transient Found Dead On LA High School Campus)
Glass shared her love for her friends, family and followers in the video post. She also gave a shoutout to whoever makes her false eyelashes, which managed to stay put throughout the entire ordeal, according to the post.
“Guys, just be safe out there … because — keep your head on a swivel, off your phones. I mean, mine wasn’t, but still, I wasn’t ready for it,” Glass continued. “And um, there’s a lot of mentally ill people on these streets right now. And, you shouldn’t have to be fearful when you walk, but it’s true, and so, you guys just be safe.”
Attacks by and within homeless populations in Los Angeles have risen steadily over the last several years, coupled with a historic rise in crime. Earlier this year, Santa Monica, a neighboring jurisdiction to Los Angeles, was ranked one of the “least safe” cities in the state due to rising crime.