Latest news with #DonnaDeChristopher
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Attack by homeless man in L.A. leaves woman, 52, with broken nose, concussion
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. 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.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Woman left with broken nose and facial trauma in unprovoked attack by violent homeless man
A California woman said she was viciously attacked by a stranger while walking through the Los Feliz neighborhood - and is now urging others to be on high alert. The terrifying incident happened on June 18 as 52-year-old Donna DeChristopher was walking home from errands near her residence on Sunset Drive in Los Angeles. She said she spotted a homeless man she had seen before - believed to be living in a nearby encampment not far from Thomas Starr King Middle School - when he suddenly sprinted toward her and began attacking her without warning. The man, described as a Hispanic male in his 20s, allegedly punched her in the face three or four times before fleeing the scene. DeChristopher lost consciousness and believed she may have been hit again while on the ground. She wrote on Facebook that she was initially taken to Hollywood Presbyterian, but due to the severity of her injuries, she was transferred to Dignity California's trauma center, where doctors worked to stop a brain bleed and assess damage to her eye. She was left with a broken nose, stitches, and significant trauma to her face. Facial recognition software reportedly failed to identify her due to the swelling when she attempted to call 911. Doctors initially feared her retina had detached, but she has avoided surgery for now. She has no idea who the man is or what prompted the attack - noting he didn't try to rob her and simply ran off after pummeling her. A passerby who witnessed the brutal scene came to her aid and called for help. DeChristopher told KTLA News: 'I know that so much is going on right now, but this should not be falling through the cracks. '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 the district, said: 'While our work has yielded results, including a 40 per cent 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.' The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a homeless man believed to be responsible several days later. He reportedly had a warrant for his arrest and a history of trespassing in the area. He is currently being held without bail.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Distraught LA woman, 52, shares what violent homeless man did to her in unprovoked attack
A California woman said she was viciously attacked by a total stranger while walking through the Los Feliz neighborhood - and is now urging others to be on high alert. The terrifying incident unfolded on June 18 as 52-year-old Donna DeChristopher was walking home from errands near her residence on Sunset Drive in Los Angeles - a neighborhood she describes as usually safe and walkable. She said she spotted a homeless man she had seen before - believed to be living in a nearby encampment not far from Thomas Starr King Middle School - when he suddenly sprinted toward her and began attacking her without warning. The man, described as a Hispanic male in his 20s, allegedly punched her in the face three or four times before fleeing the scene. DeChristopher lost consciousness and believed she may have been hit again while on the ground. She wrote in a Facebook post that she was initially taken to Hollywood Presbyterian, but due to the severity of her injuries, she had to be transferred to Dignity California's trauma center, where doctors worked to stop a brain bleed and assess the extent of damage to her eye. She was left with a broken nose, stitches, and significant trauma to her face. Facial recognition software reportedly failed to identify her due to the swelling when she attempted to call 911. Doctors initially feared her retina had detached, but she avoided surgery for now. She has no idea who the man is or what prompted the attack - noting he didn't try to rob her and simply ran off after pummeling her. A Good Samaritan who witnessed the brutal scene came to her aid and called for help. '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 the district, responded with a statement: 'While our work has yielded results, including a 40 per cent 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.' The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a homeless man believed to be responsible several days later. He reportedly had a warrant for his arrest and a history of trespassing in the area. He is currently being held without bail. The horrifying assault came just days before another unprovoked attack unfolded across town in Brentwood, where a gardener was beaten with a large stick by a homeless man furious over yard work noise. Rodolfo Roman was working at a home on June 23 when a shirtless man believed to be squatting in a nearby abandoned property stormed over and began screaming and cursing at him. Ring camera footage captured the moment the man launched into a violent attack, striking Roman repeatedly in the head, face, and arm. The savage beating left Roman covered in blood, with a broken arm and a deep head wound requiring staples.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Attack by homeless man in L.A. leaves woman, 52, with broken nose, concussion
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. 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.
