A woman in Los Angeles said she fears for her safety after being attacked by a homeless man who poured a bucket of feces on her head.
“It was diarrhea. Hot liquid. I was soaked, and it was coming off my eyelashes and into my eyes,” Heidi Van Tassel told NBC4 Los Angeles. “Paramedics who came to treat me said there was so much of it on me that it looked like the man was saving it up for a month.”
Police arrested Jere Blessing in the attack and charged him with battery. Records show Blessing, who had been living on the streets, showed signs of “schizophrenia and psychotic disorders.” He was released from a mental institution in August, the station reported.
“It’s so traumatic. The PTSD that I’m dealing with is beyond anything that I’ve ever felt,” Van Tassel said.
Van Tassel’s story highlights a growing epidemic in major cities across the country. LA Police Department data shows homelessness and crime carried out by people living on city streets have skyrocketed in recent years.
In 2019, police recorded more than 2,400 arrests of homeless people on assault charges.
The attack has left Van Tassel shaken. She said she is afraid to go into public for fear of coming face to face with her attacker again.
“I will never, ever, forget his face,” she said. “What’s the next thing he’s going to do [to] somebody? If he would’ve had a knife, for sure he would’ve stabbed me.”
