Disturbing surveillance footage out of Sherman Oaks shows the moment a man knocked a woman to the ground in a random attack – and a second woman who was assaulted the same day believes she may also be a victim of the assailant.
Police said one of the attacks occurred Thursday at about 2:30 p.m. outside a sushi restaurant near the intersection of Van Nuys and Ventura boulevards. In that assault, the victim was exiting her car as the attacker approached and then hit her.
“This guy came very fast to me,” said the victim, who asked not to be named out of fear for her safety. “He pushed me from behind, like very abruptly. I rolled a few times, I fell on my head, like on my hands, on my knees and then he started walking very fast.”
That same day, another woman was hurt in a separate random attack. The location and timing of the second assault is unclear, but surveillance footage captured that attack.
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“When I got close to him, I kind of veered off away from him, putting space between us,” the second victim said. She, too, wished to remain anonymous as a precaution. “He ended up smashing me on the side of my head. I didn’t fall down but I was seeing stars. It hurt so bad. I stood up straight and he was coming at me again.”
Police have not connected the two cases, but both women believe they were assaulted by the same man.
Authorities did not release information regarding the suspect, but said officers believe he is a transient.
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The investigation is ongoing.
