Earlier this month, a deranged homeless man attacked two women in California, leaving one briefly unconscious and the other in a coma.
On April 6, Mary Klein, 54, was out for a night walk on a canal in Venice, California, when Anthony Jones, 29, ambushed her from behind, knocking her unconscious and cutting her two front teeth. He is said to have pulled out a book. .
“I think he tried to kill me.” she told KTLA. “It looked like I had been hit by a truck.”
An hour later, the man attacked another woman, who has not been identified, in the canal, leaving her in a coma, according to KTLA.
Klein was walking when Jones pushed her down and punched her in the head and face, knocking her unconscious.
When she woke up, the man was gone and she went home. she told NBC Los Angeles.. She fell asleep, and the next day she went to work.
“I didn’t know I was sick,” she told NBC Los Angeles. “There was really bad bleeding. He really hit me in the head.”
The attack left her with a broken tooth, a fractured jaw that is now fixed in place with wire, a large cut on the back of her head, multiple bruises, and bruising to her face and neck, according to KTLA.
She will require multiple surgeries and physical therapy, relatives told the outlet.
According to the GoFundMe, Klein is awake and walking as of today, but required facial reconstructive surgery.
Another woman is believed to have been attacked by Jones in the canal an hour later, leaving her in a coma.
“I cried because I was worried about the other girl.” [victim] I hope she succeeds,” the home health nurse told KTLA. She said: “She was lucky to survive and I feel so sad for her and I hope she’s okay.”
Jones, who is believed to be homeless, was arrested on Friday, and police believe the two attacks were random.
Police said both attacks had a “sexual element,” according to KTLA. It is unclear what it was.
Jones is charged with two counts of attempted murder and is being held at the Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Detention Center on $3.25 million bail.
The soon-to-be grandmother said she hoped Jones would receive a life sentence and called on local authorities to prioritize mental health and drug issues, as well as homelessness.
