Woman calls on LA city leaders to do more after she was viciously attacked by homeless man
SILVER LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A woman was viciously attacked by a homeless man while walking to the post office, and she's calling on city leaders to do more to protect residents.
Donna DeChristopher spoke with 7 On Your Side Investigates and said the attack happened around 8:30 a.m. on June 18.
I don't think I'm going to walk alone for quite some time.Donna DeChristopher, who was attacked by homeless man
She lives just a block away from Thomas Starr King Middle School, which sits on a dividing line between Los Feliz and Silver Lake. She said she was walking to the post office when suddenly, a homeless man she's seen in her neighborhood came running down the sidewalk.
DeChristopher said he punched her at least three times.
"I remember the fist was coming toward me, and the sound was louder than the feeling, but it was probably the most excruciating pain that you can ever experience," she said.
"I could hear crunch, crunch, crunch, and I think there may have been a fourth, and at that point, everything went bright and then dark."
Many who live around the middle school say homelessness is a huge issue. An encampment sits on the Silver Lake side under a bridge, roughly 800 feet from the school.
"We complain all the time," said Al Castellanos, who heard DeChristopher screaming when she was attacked.
He told ABC7 that he's had people come into his backyard to use his outdoor sink as a shower.
"That's why we even put a gate over there, because there was no way to stop people coming in without a gate," said Castellanos.
Our city council turned their backs on us after they were elected.Donna DeChristopher
DeChristopher lives right on the edge of Los Angeles' 4th City Council district, which is represented by Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Raman told 7 On Your Side Investigates that DeChristopher "should never have experienced this brutal attack." She said while there's been a 40% drop in the number of people living on the streets in the 4th district, much more still needs to be done.
Meanwhile, the homeless encampment sits on the edge of District 14.
In a statement, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said in recent weeks, they've helped bring numerous people at the encampment into interim housing.
There have also been weekly cleanings scheduled at the encampment, according to the district.
A few days after DeChristopher was attacked, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested a 27-year-old homeless man who had a previous warrant out for his arrest. He's currently being held without bond.
7 On Your Side Investigates also contacted Mayor Karen Bass for this report. Her office said safety is a priority and that her Inside Safe program has helped more than 350 Angelenos get off the streets.
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