A Los Angeles woman was left with horrific injuries after being ambushed while walking near her Venice Beach home.
Mary Klein, 54, said she barely remembers the vicious assault on April 6, which left her with a fractured jaw, missing teeth and extensive bruising across her face and chest.
‘It was like being hit by a truck,’ she told KTLA. ‘My teeth got knocked out. My jaw is wired shut. He bashed my face in… I think he was trying to kill me.’
Cops arrested homeless suspect Anthony Jones, 29, late Thursday night in San Diego. He is alleged to have also knocked another woman unconscious around an hour after the assault on Klein.
Mary Klein, 54, was brutally attacked on April 6 while walking near her home, leaving her with a fractured jaw, missing teeth and extensive bruising across her face and chest
A caregiver for an elderly woman with ALS and a soon-to-be grandmother, Klein said she feels she is lucky to have survived the attack
On Thursday, cops arrested homeless man Anthony Jones, 29, after he allegedly attacked Klein and another woman within an hour of each other
Police said they believe both attacks were random and had a ‘sexual element’ to them.
Klein, a single mother, said she was knocked down out of the blue while walking home at around 10:30pm.
‘All of a sudden, I just get knocked out,’ she said from her hospital bed.
The 54-year-old said she thought her attacker was ‘trying to kill’ her, as she was ruthlessly beaten across her head and torso.
She has been recovering in hospital ever since, and her injuries include a fractured jaw, broken teeth, multiple contusions and a large gash on the back of her head.
A professional home healthcare nurse for an elderly woman with ALS and soon-to-be grandmother, Klein faces a lengthy road to recovery that will require multiple surgeries.
A GoFundMe set up after the attack also noted that Klein’s health insurance dropped her on March 31, just a week before the attack, and she was in the middle of getting California Coverage when the assault took place.
Police said the same suspect assaulted another woman, who has not been identified, around an hour later while she was walking near the Sherman Canal.
Investigators said Jones, described as transient, was captured on surveillance footage stalking the canals that night.
He was charged on two counts of attempted murder, and is being held on a $3.25 million bail.
Klein (seen before the attack left) suffered extensive injuries, which will see her jaw wired shut for at least a month
The single mother had several of her teeth knocked out during the attack
‘It was like being hit by a truck,’ Klein said from her hospital bed. ‘My teeth got knocked out. My jaw is wired shut. He bashed my face in… I think he was trying to kill me’
Police said Jones was seen on surveillance video stalking the area of both attacks
Following his arrest, Klein said she was glad to see that a suspect was apprehended, and was thankful to have survived her ordeal.
‘I was crying because I was so worried about the other girl [victim] and I hope she makes it,’ she told KTLA.
‘I’m lucky I survived, and I feel so sad for her and I hope she’s okay.’
Klein’s son Robert added that while he was glad to see an arrest was made, he questioned why such a ‘predator’ was able to walk the streets freely.
‘I want predators and violent attackers to be held accountable, have longer sentences and just not be out on the streets with our family members.’
Klein said she hopes her attacker is sentenced to prison for life, and that local officials would prioritize tackling homelessness and drug abuse in Southern California.
Klein was attacked while walking near her home, as her son said: ‘I want predators and violent attackers to be held accountable, have longer sentences and just not be out on the streets’
Pictured is the area where Klein was attacked, just an hour before another unidentified woman was assaulted, allegedly by the same homeless suspect
In the GoFundMe to help Klein with her medical costs, it noted that the fundraising goal was increased to cover ‘additional facial reconstruction’ and a home security system.
‘It’s doubtful she will be able to return to work for at least 6-8 weeks and she’s so worried about losing her small rental in Venice where she and her cat have resided for years,’ the fundraiser states.
‘Many may know her for the wonderful sand art she builds in Venice for all the events.’