Olympian Kim Glass details injuries from attack in L.A. by man with metal pipe

Former Olympian Kim Glass took to social media to detail an unprovoked attack that she said left her bloodied and bruised in downtown Los Angeles.

The former U.S. women’s volleyball player and model said in a video posted to Instagram that she was attacked by a man, whom she described as homeless, with a metal pipe Saturday as she was leaving lunch with a friend.

Police were called to Olive and 8th streets at around 2:30 p.m., following reports that a woman was attacked by a man with an unknown object, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

When officers arrived at the scene, they saw multiple citizens holding down the suspect, who was taken into custody without incident, police said.

According to police, the attacker has been identified as 50-year-old Semeon Tesfamarian and he is currently in custody. Police cannot confirm whether Tesfamarian was homeless.

Glass said the man ran up to her and threw a metal object, which struck her in the face.

“He just looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes. Before I knew it, a big metal bolt pipe hit me. It happened so fast, he literally flung it from the street so he was not even close to me at all,� Glass said in a video posted to Instagram. “I wasn’t ready for it, and there’s a lot of mentally ill people on these streets right now.�

Glass, who won a silver medal with the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, shared her appreciation for the strangers who rushed to her aid after she was hit. She said the strangers pinned the suspected attacker to the ground until police arrived. She also expressed gratitude to her friends and family, adding that they have surrounded her with love and support.

Glass said she received stitches and has multiple fractures in her right eye. According to an update posted by Glass on social media, she will not be needing any surgeries and her vision will remain intact.

However, Glass, who was on the MTV reality series “The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars,� notes that her injuries could have been much worse.

“As much as it scares us and reminds us of the crazy in the world or what we deem bad, that day also reminded me of all the beauty in the world — my friends/fam who had my back and the absolute strangers that came and didn’t leave my side. That’s the way people are and that’s the way community should work,� Glass wrote.