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.