Olympian Kim Glass Assaulted by Homeless Man, Nearly Loses Eye in Pipe Attack – Bystanders Hold 51-Year-Old Down Until Police Arrive

Olympic athlete Kim Glass, who won the silver medal for volleyball at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 was attacked recently by a homeless man in Los Angeles, nearly losing her eye in the process.

According to TMZ, Glass said it happened on Saturday, July 9, as she was leaving a lunch date with a friend in Downtown L.A. Continue reading and we’ll give you the low down.

Attacker Looked at Glass with ‘Hateful Eyes’

Captioning a series of photos the volleyball star shared on her social media page, the 37-year-old former Olympian said that, upon exiting the restaurant, she noticed a man in the street with something in his hand.

“He just like looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes,” Glass said. “And, as I turned to go tell my friend, ‘I think something’s, like, wrong with him and I think he’s going to hit a car,’ before I knew it, a big metal bolt, like pipe, hit me right here.” “It happened so fast.”

Damage Could Have Been Worse

Glass explained that the man then threw the object at her from a short distance away, slamming it into her eye socket and across the bridge of her nose, causing considerable damage. Videos taken following the attack show the athlete’s eye nearly swollen shut with her face still covered in blood. In the clips, Glass also said that she was diagnosed with multiple facial fractures and that she needed stitches to close the lacerations.

Fortunately, Glass said that the doctors do not expect permanent damage from the assault. She intimated that she was grateful for the support she has received from friends and family following the assault and added that she was happy that it didn’t turn out to be worse.

Attacker Charged with Felony Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

She then told friends and followers to “just be safe out there” adding that there are a lot of “mentally ill people on these streets” and that people shouldn’t need to be fearful while walking “but it’s true. And, so, you guys just be safe.”

According to the former Olympian, bystanders held her attacker down until police arrived at the scene. As for the man who she accused of throwing the object, she said bystanders held him down until police arrived. No word if the man was ultimately arrested.

A recent update by TMZ reported that the LAPD did arrest the 51-year-old male announcing Monday that he was booked on felony assault with a dangerous weapon and had not been given bail.

Be sure to follow this story as it develops and return here often for more news and updates.