Woman attacked by homeless man in Melrose-Fairfax area

The manhunt is underway for a homeless man who attacked a woman in the Melrose-Fairfax area, and police believe she may not be the only victim.

It happened on June 24 around 4:30 p.m. Sigal Engelberg told KNX News’ Emily Valdez that she was walking her small dog on Melrose Avenue near La Cienega Boulevard when she noticed a shirtless man acting strangely across the street.

“And as he was crossing the street, I started walking faster so I wasn’t in the area where he would eventually cross. I had no idea he was coming straight at me,” she said. “I just thought, ‘He’s unstable. Whatever. Just get away from him. Avoid eye contact. Don’t draw his attention to yourself.'”

Engelberg said the man hit her in the face from behind and knocked her down.

“I may have been unconscious for a minute, but it’s hard to remember because I was in shock,” she said.

She added that her dog also fell during the attack and threw off her leg.

As a result, Engelberg suffered a hematoma on his face, a black eye and abrasions on his body.

“He hit me with so much force and the girl who saw it and stopped to help was so scared that he would keep hitting me once I was on the ground,” she said. “He easily could have killed me. I couldn’t have fought back. Even the day I was attacked, some shop owners from Melrose came to help and bring ice packs and they told me they had seen the same man attacking other women in the area.”

A senior officer with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division told KNX News’ Emily Valdez that they are familiar with the man and believe he may have attacked other women as well. They are increasing patrols in the area as investigators work to catch the suspect.


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