Horrifying video captured an assailant’s random attack on a woman at a Los Angeles-area metro station, with him beating, punching, and stomping on her before nearly tossing her into ongoing freeway traffic.
Spine-chilling footage of the Aug. 7 attack in Pasadena shows the victim repeatedly getting dragged into the carpool lane of the busy 210 freeway as cars fly by, coming within inches of running her over as she tries to fight off the attacker.
The newly released footage, obtained by KTLA, shows the attacker punching and kicking the woman on the side of the freeway just before 5:30 a.m. and repeatedly turning around to shove her back to the ground — at one point even picking her up and tossing her mere inches from oncoming speeding traffic.
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believe the attack, carried out by Juan Pablo near the Allen metro station, was random.
Pablo, 33, who was arrested shortly after the attack, has been charged by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office with felony attempted murder and felony mayhem.
Meanwhile, the victim may now suffer “long-term disfigurement,” and recently had to return to the hospital after some of her injuries became infected, KTLA reported.
In addition to new infections, the victim was left with several broken bones, heavy bruises and deep lacerations that required stitches, according to the sheriff’s department.
Video of the shocking attack, now being shared widely on social media, has left some local train riders like Nandi Hughes uneasy.
While Hughes, a young mom who relies on the train to get to and from her job as an in-home caretaker, says she mostly feels safe, riding lone on the train at night can be “kind of iffy.”
The attack was “worrying” to Hughes, who added, ” That’s why I’m trying to hurry up and save up so I can get a car so I can get me and my kids off the train.”
Another commuter, Dana Terrance, told the station she feels “safe enough,” taking the train.
“I don’t have a car, so it’s my only means of transportation,” she explained. “I don’t go on the Metro past 10 p.m.”
Local leaders are working to increase safety measures for public transportation in Los Angeles, and are weighing the possibility of Metro, the train system, creating its own police force.
Pablo is being held on $2,000,000 bail. If convicted on the charges, he could face life in prison.