A 24-year-old woman who was stabbed in the head last week with a pair of garden shears as she walked on a North Hollywood sidewalk is recovering after a lengthy emergency surgery, her family said Tuesday.
The stabbing early Monday afternoon on Lankershim Boulevard near Hatteras Street left the shears embedded in the the victim's head, but she entered a nearby restaurant, asked for help, then collapsed on the floor, police said.
A 30-year-old man identified by police as a homeless individual was arrested after allegedly assaulting another woman by hurling a jar full of pickles at her in two back-to-back unprovoked attacks in North Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday.
Kyli Watts mother said her daughter required two hours of emergency surgery. She started standing and walking this week, but her recovery will take some time, she said.
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"This is an individual with a severe illness, so there is no hatred, there is no anger," said Amy Watts, the mother of Kyli Watts. "The message she wants to get out, as well, is to make change, whether through voting, in donation, in volunteer work. In whatever sense you can do, just to support addressing this crisis so that we can all walk the streets safely."
The crime occurred in an area with many businesses and pedestrian traffic. The attacker and victim do not know each other, police said.
After the stabbing, the attacker continued walking north and approached a couple waiting at a bus stop, police said. He asked them for a cigarette light, and when the woman said "No" he threw a full jar of pickles at her, striking her in the shoulder, according to the LAPD's statement.
The man waiting at the bus stop chased the attacker to the front of a grocery store, where he was detained by security guards until police arrived and took him in to custody.
The suspect was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder. He was being held on $3 million bail.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, which filed one count of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon against Cole, police said.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call detectives at 818-754-8451, or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or click here.
