Man blindsides former Olympian when he attacks with ‘metal pipe,’ she says
Former Olympic volleyball player Kim Glass said she was leaving lunch with a friend outside a California restaurant when she met the gaze of a man with “hateful eyes.”
The man was on the other side of a car in the street, holding something in his hand in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, July 8, Glass told her followers in a series of Instagram stories.
Glass, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the U.S.A. women’s indoor volleyball team, was turning to tell her friend about the suspicious man.
“Before I knew it, a big metal bolt-like pipe hit me. Hit me here,” she said, gesturing to the upper part of her face with a visibly swollen right eye. “It just happened so fast. He literally flung it from the street … It took me down and out.”
After the attack, multiple onlookers were able to hold the suspect until police arrived, the Los Angeles Police Department told McClatchy News via a phone interview.
Glass was taken to a local hospital for her injuries, police said.
In addition to her swollen eye, Glass said the attack left her with fractures in her face.
Police said they arrested Semeon Tesfamariam, 51, who is facing an assault with a deadly weapon charge. He is being held on $30,000 bail, according to police records.
Despite her injuries, the Olympian still joked with her followers.
“Shout out to these eyelashes that have been on ever since (the attack). I don’t know who made these, but can I get a deal? ‘Cause you guys are awesome,” she said.
On a more serious note, Glass also heeded others to pay attention to their surroundings.
“Guys, just be safe out there … I wasn’t ready for it,” she said.
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 11:28 AM.
