Who is Semeon Tesfamariam? Homeless man charged with assault for attacking Olympian Kim Glass with ‘metal bolt’

On July 12, 2022, a Los Angeles resident was charged with felony assault for reportedly attacking former Olympic volleyball player Kim Glass with a metal pipe.

According to a news release issued by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon on Tuesday, Semeon Tesfamariam is charged with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon. He is accused of "causing substantial bodily injury and of having previously been convicted in 2020 of a serious and/or violent offense."

DA Gascon said,

"This was a brutal, unprovoked attack. Mr Tesfamariam has a troubling history of attacking apparently random people with dangerous weapons. His behaviour appears to have escalated with time. We have asked the court to preventatively detain him to protect the public. The court granted that request and he is currently being held without bail."

---

Perpetrator of the Kim Glass incident is a repeat offender

On Friday, Mr. Tesfamarian was accused of approaching Kim Glass, 37, and throwing a 10-inch metal bolt at her face, causing serious wounds. Until law enforcement arrived, rescuers at the scene held the man in custody.

The attacker was identified as 51-year-old Semeon Tesfamariam by a spokesperson for Los Angeles police. Tesfamariam is reportedly homeless. This, however, isn't the first felony assault he has been charged with. According to the District Attorney's Office, his first felony assault occurred in 2018, while the second one happened in 2019. He was initially sentenced to probation and later, a state prison term, according to the news release. He was on parole at the time of the alleged assault on Kim Glass.

A hearing is set for August 12 in a Downtown Los Angeles courtroom regarding Tesfamariam's mental competence. He is being held without bail until then.

According to the District Attorney's Office, he could face a maximum of 11 years in state prison if convicted.

---

Kim Glass needed several stitches to close the gashes on her face

A video recorded just moments after Kim Glass was attacked while walking through Downtown Los Angeles shows the former volleyball star surrounded by blood as she lay bleeding on the sidewalk.

Reportedly, Kim Glass asserted that the incident took place after she and a friend had finished eating. She mentioned,

"He just looked at me with some hateful eyes. 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."

In a series of Instagram Stories on Saturday, Glass described the terrifying attack. She described the occurrence and displayed the extent of her injuries, which included a cut above her nose and a severely swollen right eye. She stated that the doctors were certain her vision would eventually improve.

Reportedly, Glass suffered multiple fractures on her face and required several stitches to close the lacerations on her face.

She said in a video,

"Right now it looks like my vision will be okay, and I got really great stitching from a doctor. I have amazing friends and family around me and supporting me, and that's been a best part."

Glass won a silver medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. She was with the United States women's indoor volleyball team.