An unprovoked attack at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, left a woman severely injured while celebrating a birthday with friends and family.
Karla, a San Francisco native, is currently recovering from serious injuries after the unprovoked attack over the weekend. It was reported that Karla, her friends and their children were on the beach on Saturday afternoon celebrating one of the children’s birthdays with a picnic spread.
Raji Pillai, a friend of Kayla’s told ABC7 that the attack was sudden and unexpected for a day on the beach.
“There was a man sitting about 30 feet away. He was talking gibberish he seemed agitated. With one sweep of the arm, he cleared all the food on the cooler…he took out a full can from the cooler and just held his arm back and hurled it.” shared Pillai. “She just staggered a few feet forward and collapsed to the ground,” Pillai added.
In a state of shock, Karla knew immediately that her nose was broken: “When I was down I knew my nose was broken, I could feel the blood going down my throat.”
According to reports, the can hit Karla directly in her face, breaking her nose in several places and seriously damaging her eye, sealing it shut for some length of time. The attacker has been named as Stephen Miller, a 46-year-old man.
The unprovoked attack at Ocean Beach saw Miller not only attack Karla, but he also proceeded to empty the food from the cooler and fling it across the sand.
San Francisco police arrived and promptly arrested Miller who showed signs of violence. They confirmed that the attack was unprovoked.
The nature of the unprovoked attack at Ocean Beach has opened up a wider conversation about the mental healthcare services in San Francisco. “I think we need to hold our city officials to addressing safety for people as well as care and safety for maybe some of the more vulnerable people on the street. I don’t think we should be sacrificing reasonable safety for families on a beach.” expressed Sharon Tetlow, Karla’s friend who also witnessed the attack over the weekend.
Karla has shared that she plans to go to Miller’s arraignment to advocate for the safety of others in the city.
