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Woman attacked, bitten on the forehead in Seattle
Some are calling it a zombie-like attack — police say a woman in Seattle went after a stranger, biting a chunk out of her forehead. The woman accused of the attack appeared in court today.
SEATTLE - A woman accused in a zombie-like attack against a stranger showed up in court on Monday, with a judge ordering a mental evaluation for the defendant.
The backstory:
Kamilia Chadli is accused of biting off the flesh from another woman’s forehead in downtown Seattle on the afternoon of Sept. 18.
The unprovoked attack left a circular hole in Diana Gonzalez’s forehead and blood immediately gushing down her face.
What they're saying:
On Monday, Gonzalez described what happened, saying she was walking near 3rd and Cherry Street when Chadli started to repeatedly throw trash at her.
"So then that's when I asked her, I'm like, what is your problem?" Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said Chadley then spit on her and spewed hateful rhetoric before the confrontation escalated into an unimaginable level.
"She grabs me, I fall on top of her and almost immediately I go to the side of her and that's when she bites me," Gonzalez said. "She doesn't try to fight me, she doesn't try to hit me in any other way, she goes straight to biting my forehead."
The bite left a hole an inch in diameter on Gonzalez's forehead. Despite bleeding from her face, Gonzalez chased after Chadli.
Woman arrested after biting victim's face in Downtown Seattle attack: police
A 36-year-old woman sustained permanent facial injuries during a bias-motivated physical attack near 3rd Avenue and Marion Street in Downtown Seattle on Sept. 18.
Dig deeper:
A valet worker at the nearby Arctic Club stepped in to assist and also ran after the suspect, alerting a King County courthouse law enforcement officer who arrested the 36-year-old at a nearby bus stop.
Gonzalez says she is grateful to the valet worker because, without his actions, Chadli could have gotten away, she said.
"I'm so glad that she didn't, like, get away. I'm really happy about that because I would have been so scared. Like, I don't know how my mental state would have been had this person just been out and about."
For now, Chadli remains behind bars as the court now waits for a mental evaluation and her plea. During Monday’s court hearing, Chadli’s defense attorney requested the judge forbid the media from filming Chadli's face, but Judge Nelson Lee denied the request while ordering a mental evaluation.
Gonzalez believes Chadli was aware of her actions and wants Chadli to serve jail time over the attack.
"She went to the bus stop to try to catch the bus, and then she lied about it," Gonzalez said. "I would like for it to remain a felony charge."
In addition to physical injuries that will require further medical procedures, Gonzalez noted the lasting psychological impact of the assault.
"It wasn't until like I saw the injury that I got like affected emotionally because I was just like, 'Oh my God, like that's my face,'" Gonzalez said. "Oh my god, like there's like a big chunk taken out. I just couldn't believe it."
What's next:
Gonzalez says she has more medical procedures to treat her facial injury, and she has a GoFundMe in hopes of getting some financial help.
Chadli has been charged with second-degree assault, and she will be back in court Oct 13th.
According to court documents, Chadley has had multiple police contacts related to substance abuse and mental health.
She was also arrested several years ago for assault but in that case, no charges were brought against her.
The Source: Information for this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle's Hana Kim, who spoke with Diana Gonzalez about the attack and viewed multiple court documents for updates in this case and other information about Kamilia Chadli.
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