Former Olympian Kim Glass says she suffered multiple face fractures after she was attacked in Los Angeles
Former Olympic volleyball player Kim Glass said she suffered multiple face fractures and her eye was swollen shut after she was attacked in downtown Los Angeles. Glass said she was injured when a homeless man, who has since been apprehended, threw a metal object at her face.
Glass, a silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said she was leaving lunch with a friend when she noticed a man on the opposite side of the street that had an object in his hand. The incident occurred on Friday, according to The Associated Press.
"He just like looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes," Glass said. "It happened so fast, he literally flung it from the street, he was not even close to me at all."
After the man threw the object at her, bystanders held him down until police arrived, she said.
The incident left Glass with multiple fractures in her face, she said, adding that one of her eyes was swollen shut and she had to get stitches. Glass said the object appeared to be a "pipe."
Despite the severity of the attack, she reassured her followers that she will heal from her injuries.
"Right now it looks like my vision will be okay, and I got really great stitching from the doctor," she said.
A spokesperson for Los Angeles police identified the man as 51-year-old Semeon Tesfamariam and said that he was booked on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Associated Press.
USA Volleyball President and CEO Jamie Davis said Monday that the organization was "appalled" by the attack, according to The Associated Press.
"Our thoughts are with her and we wish her a speedy recovery," Davis said.