Homeless man stabbed LA woman in head with garden shears

A 24-year-old Los Angeles woman suffered a traumatic brain injury after a passing stranger stabbed her in the head with a pair of gardening shears, according to authorities.

The attack happened in broad daylight on Oct. 10 while the victim, Kyli Watts, was out in North Hollywood, reported KTLA.

Video showed Watts passing a man on the sidewalk of Lankershim Boulevard who suddenly turned and stabs the woman in the back of the head with a pair of 4-inch garden shears.  

The suspected attacker, identified as 30-year-old Jonathan Cole, fled as Watts ran into a nearby restaurant asking for help, according to police. Staff called 911 after the injured woman collapsed with the weapon still embedded in her skull.

Watts was rushed to a hospital and immediately went into surgery. She reportedly suffered a traumatic brain injury and faces a “challenging road to recovery both mentally and physically,” potentially long-term issues with her balance and vision.

Amy Watts, the victim’s mother, told KTLA she was upset about what happened to her daughter but had no hatred for the attacker.

“There is no ill regard toward this human, no anger, no bad feelings,” said Amy Watts, who works as a psychiatric nurse in North Carolina.

“We’ve been a foster family for 15 years taking care of some severely mentally ill individuals. She understands that this is a very sick person.”

The gracious mother attributed said the incident was a result of “social and systemic failure” on behalf of the sick people who need the most help and called for more attention to mental health issues.

Cole was arrested and charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, according to KTLA. He is being held on $3,055,000 bail.