Los Angeles: Homeless man dumps bucket of hot diarrhea on woman near walk of fame

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Heidi Van Tassel said she was having a nice evening out with her friends when the attack happened. She said a homeless man sprinted across the street before the attack.

"It was diarrhea," Van Tassel said. "Hot liquid. I was soaked, and it was coming off my eyelashes and into my eyes. Paramedics who came to treat me said there was so much of it on me, that it looked like the man was saving it up for a month."

Medics took the woman to the hospital, where she was tested for infectious diseases. She will have to be retested every three months.

Data from the Los Angeles Police Department shows the number of arrests of homeless people are on the rise since 2017. The number of homeless people arrested for violent crime has also increased.

Surveillance footage from nearby businesses caught the attack, and police body cameras captured the aftermath, but neither have been released.

"It's so traumatic. The PTSD that I'm dealing with is beyond anything that I've ever felt," Van Tassel said.

Court records identified the man who attacked her as Jere Blessings, who has schizophrenia and psychotic disorders. He was charged with battery and taken to jail.

"He doesn't need jail time," Van Tassel said. "He needs mental health care."

NBC LA reports Blessings was previously in a mental health facility for two months, but was released in August.

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