The brute accused of randomly attacking former Olympian Kim Glass with a metal bolt is being held without bail as doubts were raised over his competence to stand trial, prosecutors said.
Semeon Tesfamariam, 51, was slapped with a charge of an assault with a deadly weapon for nearly blinding the volleyball silver medal-winner by flinging a “10-inch metal bolt” into her face in Los Angeles, the district attorney announced Tuesday.
The apparently homeless attacker was out on probation during the broad-daylight attack and had previous felony assault arrests in 2018 and 2019, according to LA County DA George Gascón.
“This was a brutal, unprovoked attack,” Gascón said in a statement. “Mr. Tesfamariam has a troubling history of attacking apparently random people with dangerous weapons.
“His behavior appears to have escalated with time,” he went on. “We have asked the court to preventatively detain him to protect the public. The court granted that request and he is currently being held without bail.”
Tesfamarian was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, but a doubt “was declared” over his competence to stand trial, Gascón said. A hearing is set for Aug. 17.
Glass, 37, who has appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, was reportedly leaving a lunch on Saturday when Tesfamarian ran up to her and threw the metal object into her face. Good Samaritans held the alleged attacker until cops arrived, the DA said.
“What the f—k is wrong with you?” someone asks as the attacker as he’s detained by good Samaritan Benson Parks, a video posted to social media showed.
Glass is seen crying, holding her face as her blood spills onto the sidewalk.
The former Team USA athlete later posted a video to Instagram joking she looked “like ET” that showed she had massive swelling around her eye and cheek, with stitches visible near her eyebrow and nose.
“Guys, just be safe out there … there’s a lot of mentally ill people on these streets right now,” she said in another video of LA.
“You shouldn’t have to be fearful when you walk, but it’s true. You guys just be safe, OK,” Glass added.
The attack followed the “Recall George Gascón” campaign, which saw organizers deliver 717,000 signed petitions in an effort to trigger a recall election for the liberal DA, who took office in December 2020. Critics have accused Gascon of going “soft on crime” amid ongoing violence in the City of Angels.
