Olympic silver-medalist Kim Glass assured her fans that she is recovering while also calling for reform on the streets of Los Angeles as well as hoping that her attacker gets the maximum 11 years that he’s facing.
On Saturday, Glass was attacked in broad daylight and left with severe injuries to her eye after being attacked by a homeless man wielding a metal pole.
Glass posted a six-minute long Instagram video two days after the attack. She said of her attacker: ‘Clearly he’s not mentally well and I do feel for him a lot. At the same time, feeling for somebody and holding them accountable doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.’
She added: ‘He needs to be off the street and I hope that he gets the full 11 years and then some, and I hope that while he’s doing it, he gets help.’
Glass went on: ‘The more that we keep letting this issue go on and on and on, and they keep getting out and they are on the streets and we know that they are not healthy or mentally well and we’re putting our citizens, our healthcare workers, our cops, everyone in harm’s way. We’re letting our society down.’
Glass also said that she wants to stand up for the victims of these crimes and to ‘clean our streets.’
In her video, Glass wore a t-shirt reading: ‘Freedom over fear.’
Her calls for the maximum penalty in the case may be ignored by woke DA George Gascon.
In her video, Glass wore a t-shirt reading: ‘Freedom over fear’
Video shared by a Los Angeles resident shows the aftermath of a homeless man attacking former Olympian Kim Glass on Satruday in Los Angleles. The suspect (left) was identified as Semeon Tesfamariam, 51
On July 12, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced that felony assault charges were being brought against Simeon Tesfamariam, 51, for his alleged role in the incident.
In her video, Glass addressed her victim saying: ‘He has assaulted many people before me and he’s violated probation and he’s violated paroles doing the same thing.’
She continued: ‘What they’re also saying is that he’s done this to women, from my understanding. I think this is an attack on women.’
Glass also maintained that the reason her case is high profile is because she is an Olympian. She said: ‘You guys haven’t heard from the other victims of the other attacks that have been happening, repeatedly happening in this city, so they need to be vindicated and we can’t drop the ball on this. We can’t. Things have to change.’
The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue model wrote in the caption: ‘I’m healing…Thanks for all the messages and love… healing vibes & prayers…’
According to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Simeon Tesmariam committed assaults in 2018 and 2019.
In 2018, he received probation, in 2019 spent time in state prison and was on parole at the time he allegedly attacked Glass.
Tesmariam was convicted in 2020 of a ‘serious and/or violent felony.’ In total, he could face 11 years in prison.
The statement goes on to say that the suspect’s arraignment hearing was due to take place on July 13 but was postponed until August 12 as his lawyer raised concerns about his mental state.
Benson Parks, who lives in L.A., chased down the homeless man before restraining him to the ground
Hero Benson Parks earlier came forward about how he leapt from his vehicle and tackled Tesfamariam as he tried to run away after attacking Kim Glass in LA.
He posted a video of him standing on Tesfamariam’s shoulder as he waited for cops to arrive and take him away.
The clip also shows a dazed-looking Glass lying on the ground with blood spattered across the street following the horrific ambush on Saturday.
Tesfamariam was later booked into jail, charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon and had bail denied.
Glass shared a shocking video of her injuries on Sunday and revealed she had to have stitches to her eye and nose.
But the 6ft 3in athlete reassured fans that despite the ghastly cuts across her head she was okay.
Glass lsyrt posted a startling video showing the aftermath of the brutal attack on Sunday. No motive for the incident has been publicly released
Parks took to Instagram to tell how he spotted the shocking attack and leaped out his truck to save the volleyball star.
He said: ‘I was eating and heard a lady screaming, so I jumped out of my truck and a guy said he hurt her, I’m like who he pointed and buddy was trying to get away so I chased his b**** a** down and dragged him Back, and stumped his face 1 time,’ Parks posted on his Instagram story.
‘But held him down while other people was just looking scared, I was so mad thinking like what if it was someone I loved so I just did what real men do and protect our women, I hate this happened to her though.’
His clip also showed several blood stains, spilled leftovers and onlookers holding a cloth to Glass’s bloody head as she screamed in agony.
Tesfanmarian was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, according to LAPD spokesperson Office Drake Madison.
Glass, 37, said Tesfamariam was acting strangely before running up to her and battering her in the face.
But the LA native reassured fans that despite a blackeye and the ghastly cuts across her head, she was okay after being stitched up.
It comes amid a crime wave sweeping across the city that hundreds of thousands warn is being driven by the woke county district attorney.
George Gascon has been criticized for his liberal approach to crime, with violent offenders being let out of jail early and others not even being locked up.
A petition to recall him has garnered more than 700,000 signatures, with the standard in California being more than 500,000.
In 2011, Glass appeared in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue.
Glass told news outlets how she had been leaving lunch and saying goodbye to her friends before the horrific attack.
She said the ‘homeless man ran-up, he had something in his hand and he was on the other side of a car on the street.’
The Sports Illustrated model and star of the US women’s volleyball team said the attacker looked at her ‘with some pretty hateful eyes.’
Glass said she had been about to turn to her friend to say she thought there was something wrong with him and that he might hit a car.
She continued: ‘Before I knew it, a big metal bolt, like a pipe, hit me… it happened so fast. He literally flung it from the street.’
Glass later said she was okay after having stitches but there would be no permanent damage to her vision.
In an update on her Instagram story on Sunday, Glass said that she was ‘overwhelmed with all of the loving supportive messages’ that she received.
She added: ‘This all could have been so much worse. So I’m grateful right now.’
Although born in LA, Glass grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She went to college at the University of Arizona and was a star on the school’s Wildcats volleyball team.
While in college, Glass attempted to become a contestant on America’s Next Top Model on five separate occasions. But she was turned down each time.
Glass won a silver medal as part of Team USA women’s volleyball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
While in college, Glass attempted to become a contestant on ‘America’s Next Top Model’ on five separate occasions, according to her NBC Olympic profile
In 2011, Glass appeared in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. On Twitter, she refers to herself as: ‘Olympic Silver Medalist, Personal Trainer, Model, Coach & Motivational Speaker.’
Los Angeles, like the rest of California, is struggling to come to grips with its homelessness problem.
Between 2010 and 2020, the state saw a 31 per cent rise in homelessness while the rest of country experienced a drop of 18 per cent.
In the first sign that Californians are turning their backs on progressive crimefighters, voters in San Francisco voted to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin over his perceived refusal to prosecute certain crimes.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon has been widely criticized for his progressive policies, which some say has heightened crime
Meanwhile voters in LA County may soon be able to oust woke DA Gascon after activists submitted hundreds of thousands of signed recall petitions on Wednesday.
The ‘Recall District Attorney George Gascon’ campaign has collected more than 717,000 signatures – well over the 566,857 needed under rules set by the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.
‘LA, you have made your voices heard,’ campaign activist wrote on Twitter. ‘Together, we’re going to force George Gascon to face the voters.’
Recall activists hope to put the option to recall Gascon on the November ballot.
In order to do so, the signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in Los Angeles County will have to be verified, so the organizers submitted more than needed, in case some are deemed unacceptable.
Critics of Gascon are seeking to recall him over his progressive polices – namely his prohibition of minors being charged as adults and elimination of enhancements that could add time to a convict’s sentence.
The progressive prosecutor – who was elected in 2020 – has been vocal about the need to reform the criminal justice system to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting ‘tough-on-crime’ policies as racist and a failure.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (above) claimed the district attorney’s office has thrown out 13,238 cases presented to him since George Gascon took office in 2020
Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna said woke DA George Gascon is a ‘criminal’s champ’ who disregards public safety
Since being elected in 2020, ‘Recall Gascon’ supporters have sought to remove him from office over his progressive policies
Recall activists have submitted their petitions. The signatures will need to be valid in order for them to count
The deadline for supporters of the recall to turn in their ballots was July 6.
Some county officials have been widely critical of Gascon, including Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
The sheriff claims Gascon dismissed more than 13,000 cases from his office since 2020 because they ‘don’t conform to his special directives.’
‘He showed up like Moses with his 10 Commandments, with his tablets, and said: ‘Here’s my special orders, take ’em or take ’em,” Villanueva previously told Fox News.
‘That does not promote a good working relationship.’
Los Angeles’ Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna recently slammed his boss, Gascon, for encouraging criminals to ‘commit more crimes.’
Sanna claimed the 68-year-old DA is a ‘criminal’s champ’ and neglects the need for ‘public safety’ and residents’ feelings with his woke policies.
He also said he has made it hard for their office to do their job because ‘as soon as we catch a perpetrator, we have to release them.’
The Gascon recall effort is the second in less than a year.
THE ‘SOFT-ON-CRIME’ Los Angeles DA: George Gascon has been slammed for spike in crime thanks to his progressive policies
The Los Angeles’s district attorney, George Gascon, has been criticized for his liberal approach to crime.
He came to office with promises of sweeping criminal justice reforms that critics say put the interests of criminals before the safety of the community.
There have been numerous instances where his ‘soft-on-crime’ approach has led to terrible consequences for victims.
Brianna Kupfer, 24, was murdered in January at a Los Angeles furniture store where she was working. Her alleged killer, Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was tracked down in Pasadena, a day after the Los Angeles Police Department named him as the top suspect in the random, unprovoked slaying.
Smith — who has a rap sheet spanning two coasts — was out on bail when he allegedly stabbed Kupfer to death.
One week before the killing, Smith was arrested and charged with violent crimes in at least three states.
At the time of Kupfer’s murder, he was free on a $50,000 bond after allegedly firing a weapon toward an occupied vehicle in Charleston, S.C., in November 2019.
Jonathan Hatami, a veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor who has been an outspoken critic of Gascon and even sued him for retaliation last year, hit out at his boss in the wake of Kupfer’s killing,
He argued that his progressive policies are failing the community and that he deserves to be voted out, along with other ‘woke’ DAs in cities with rising crime rates.
‘So now you have a large group of people who are out of custody, who are committing thefts, who are addicted to drugs… who are not being held accountable for their actions,’ he said. ‘And now they’re preying on innocent individuals.’
The city has also suffered a shocking wave of follow-home robberies and organized smash-and-grab attacks on retailers.
Brianna Kupfer, 24, was stabbed to death in a random attack while she was working alone in a luxury furniture store in Los Angeles in January. Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was out on bail at the time of the alleged attack
In another incident highlighting Gascon’s ‘soft’ policies, transgender pedophile Hannah Tubbs in February was caught bragging about her light sentence in a juvenile facility.
Tubbs was sentenced to two years in jail for molesting a 10-year-old girl inside a restaurant bathroom.
After the top prosecutor became aware of troubling comments Tubbs made in jail — including that she wouldn’t have to register as a sex offender and ‘nothing’ would be done to punish her — Gascon said he’s rethinking his approach.
‘It’s unfortunate that she gamed the system,’ Gascon told the Los Angeles Times. ‘If I had to do it all over again, she would be prosecuted in adult court.’
His critics, however, say his apparent remorse is just a public stunt as recall efforts against him grow.
Tubbs was 17 when she committed the assault.
Tubbs also made crude and disparaging comments about the child she abused.
Before she was sentenced, prosecutors had pushed for her to stay in a Los Angeles County jail and be tried as an adult, but Gascon declined to file a motion to move the case out of juvenile court, where it was filed because of Tubbs’ age at the time of offense.
The recording indicated that Tubbs also made crude and disparaging comments about the child she had abused, jokingly talking about her sexual attraction for the 10-year-old.
The DA has admitted that Tubbs may have been given too lenient a sentence after he refused to prosecute her as an adult for the crime she committed as a male juvenile.
Gascon’s critics said he knew about the recordings well before they were publicly released and he didn’t take them seriously until they started making him look bad.
The convict, who now goes by the name Hannah Tubbs, was 17 when she committed the crime. While serving time in juvenile detention facility, she bragged about not having to register as a sex offender
In another instance, Gascon is seeking to commute the death penalty sentence of a career criminal who kidnapped, robbed and shot ‘execution-style’ a father-of-three in 1992.
Scott Collins, 21, kidnapped and killed Rose in 1992. Collins (pictured in 2007) used Rose’s debit card to withdraw $200, shot him in the head and dumped his body in North Hollywood, where he was later found by a jogger
Scott Forrest Collins, now 51, kidnapped 41-year-old Fred Rose and held him at gunpoint as he left his work office in Palmdale for a lunch break three decades ago.
Collins used Rose’s debit card to withdraw $200, shot him in the head and dumped his body in North Hollywood, where he was later found by a jogger.
Rose died a day later at a hospital, and Collins went on to use Rose’s car to participate in a gang-related shooting before crashing and being arrested and charged with murder.
Now Gascon, a fierce opponent of the death penalty, who is also facing a second recall attempt from opponents who have criticized his soft-on-crime approach, is seeking to reduce Collins’ sentence from the death penalty to life without the possibility of parole.
Rose’s family claims they were blind-sided by Gascon’s push and accused the embattled prosecutor of ‘fighting for the murderer.’
Gascon’s office argues that Collins’ good behavior, lack of ‘serious rule violations in more than 20 years’, and the fact that his crime only had ‘one victim,’ should grant him the opportunity to avoid the death penalty.
Last month, Gascon backtracked on some of his most controversial policies, including not pursuing sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and not prosecuting juveniles accused of serious offenses as adults.
Gascon’s sudden change of heart comes as he faces a second recall effort organized by his critics, who contend that his woke policies are to blame for Los Angeles’ rising crime rates.
Fred Rose, 41, was robbed and killed in 1992. Now his killer might have his death penalty sentence commuted. Above, Rose with his wife and children, Julian, Amy and Heather
