Police search for attacker after two women were hurt near Venice Canals

Police went door to door Saturday night after two separate attacks on women who were walking along the Venice canals.

“I have been here 11 years and I've never heard of such a violent crime on the canal,” Aimee Nelson, a resident, said. 

Nelson lives near where the first attack happened. She didn’t find out about it until the next morning.

“On Sunday morning, I was walking my dog on the canal and we came upon the blood on the sidewalk,” Nelson said.

One neighbor had Ring camera footage of the possible attacker and shared it with his neighbors. The first attack occurred at around 10:30 p.m. on Strongs Drive near Grand canal.

Police said the first attack was brutal. The woman was struck from behind with a hard object and rendered unconscious. Then about an hour later on the Sherman canals, another woman attacked in a similar way and was also seriously injured.

Police believe the same person is behind both attacks. They have not released a motive and only have a vague description of the suspect.

But the Ring camera video of the alleged attacker that is circulating in the close-knit community has everyone wondering if they’ve seen him before.

“It’s scary, it's frightening. We have all been talking and trying to make sure we are communicating,” Nelson said. 

She said she won’t be walking alone, especially at night, and her neighbors agree. They are telling their daughters to do the same

“She is not allowed to walk by herself. The buddy system for sure. Call us if you need to come pick you up even if it is just two blocks away,” Julie Bean, a nearby resident, said.

People who live in the area said they are concerned by the attacks and other recent incidents.

“They had face masks, they had gloves, they had black hoodies,” Pat Crane, a resident, said. 

Crane said his house on the canal was broken into just last week.

“Two people approached my house. One of them attempted to kick in the door,” Crane said. 

And while he doesn’t think the break-in is related to the attacks on the women, he said it's obvious something needs to be done.

“There seems to be an uptick in crime most recently with these three incidents in the last two weeks,” Crane said. 

On Tuesday, councilmember Traci Park said she was calling on LAPD to devote every resource necessary to investigate the attacks.

Police said they are stepping up patrols in the area with officers in cars and on foot. And while that is a relief to some, many said they won’t be sleeping well until the man behind the brutal attacks is behind bars.