The woman was walking along the street when someone randomly struck her hard in the face, with her head hitting the ground as she fell to the sidewalk.
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The victim, Mi Rehm Song, was left with substantial bruising to her face and lacerations to her head. She was bleeding profusely after she hit the sidewalk. People in the area came to her assistance and called for help.
"Somebody saw this crime," said Capt. David Kowalski, with the Los Angeles Police Department's Olympic station. "It happened in the middle of the day in one of the busiest parts of Los Angeles. Please have the courage to help us identify the person responsible for this."
The attack happened Saturday around 1:30 p.m. near the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.
Police released video images and a general description of a "person of interest" who was seen fleeing the area at the time of the attack: A male Hispanic, about five foot 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds and about 35 years old. He appeared well-dressed and didn't seem to be homeless, police said.
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The video did not record the actual attack, but showed the man in the area at the time. He could either be the suspect or possibly a witness, police said.
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"He was clearly running from that area," Kowalski said. "It elevates the probability that he was probably involved or at least saw it. Something certainly scared him at that point to run from the scene."
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She is now resting at home and "in good spirits" even though she continues to feel a lot of pain, said Detective Heebae Cho.
Anyone with information was asked to call Olympic-area detectives at (213)382-9393 or (877)LAPD-247.
Anonymous information can be provided to Crime Stoppers at (800)222-8477.