Darlecia D'Andrade, 53, was working an early shift at a gas station convenience store in Harbor City when a stranger stabbed her several times in her face and stomach area, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday.
Just before 6 a.m. on June 16, a man asked to use the store's restroom. He returned soon after claiming the toilet was broken, so the Inglewood mother followed him inside the restroom. The suspect then slashed her several times with an unknown object before running out of the store and driving off.
The man is described as a 20-year-old with dark hair, approximately 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing between 160 and 170 pounds. He was wearing a red shirt, black pants and a black and green hat with the phrase "I (marijuana leaf) weed," the LASD said.
He was last seen driving a red four-door sedan down Vermont Avenue in Carson. The sedan has a sunroof and vertical slats across the front grill. It may also have a sticker or chipped paint on the driver's side door.
D'Andrade was hospitalized with "significant" injuries to her face and abdomen, police said. The mother of six has since been released but has still not recovered enough to return to work. She told the LASD she has never seen the suspect and has no idea why he would attack her.
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The Carson Sheriff's Station is asking the public's help in identifying the man and can be contacted at (310) 830-1123. Anonymous tipsters can call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), download the "P3 MOBILE APP" on Google Play or the App Store, or use lacrimestoppers.org.
