Footage showing a man armed hitting a 75-year-old woman in the face with a wooden board with a screw at the end of it has sparked anger after it emerged that he was known to police.

Fale Vaigalepa Pea, 42, allegedly attacked Jeanette Marken "randomly," ultimately blinding her in one eye, while she was standing on the street in downtown Seattle, on December 5, according to charging documents the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office shared with Newsweek.

In bodycam footage that King County Sheriff’s Office released to local media outlet KOMO News, the person wearing the camera appears to tell a paramedic that Pea is a "regular who usually punches" and later, a uniformed officer is heard saying "he’s notorious for random assaults on Third," referring to Third Avenue, a major thoroughfare in the city.

Indeed, court records reviewed by Newsweek show that Pea has at least one conviction for second-degree assault in 2012, a misdemeanor conviction for assault in 2024, four misdemeanor convictions in 2023 and one misdemeanor conviction in 2020.

Several commentators have spoken out about this online, including investor Mario Nawfal, who often posts conservative views, calling it an example of how "violent repeat offenders get endless second chances."

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s Director of Communications, Casey McNerthney, pointed out to Newsweek that "the last time the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had a felony case referred for Mr. Pea with sufficient evidence was 2011."

"In that case, King County prosecutors charged him and obtained a conviction for Assault in the Second Degree in 2012," McNerthney added.

Newsweek has contacted the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, via email outside of normal working hours, for comment.

Why It Matters

The assault on Marken in broad daylight has added to the existing scrutiny of law enforcement’s approach to handling repeat offenders amid a broader conversation about the intersection of mental health and public safety.

It comes as America is still grappling with the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was killed aboard a Charlotte light rail train in August, allegedly by suspect Decarlos Brown Jr., who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

After it was revealed that Brown has 14 prior criminal cases, there was widespread outrage over why he was walking free in the first place, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying in September that Zarutska’s blood is "on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail."

Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather has previously argued that resource constraints complicate efforts to intervene earlier—his office employs about 85 prosecutors managing nearly 300 pending homicide cases, leaving limited capacity for proactive mental health-related interventions.

What To Know

Marken was standing outside the King County Courthouse waiting to cross the street when Pea "who was walking on the sidewalk behind the victim standing on the street corner, dropped a suitcase he was rolling along as he reached her so that he could grip the wooden board he was carrying with both hands," Prosecuting Attorney for King County Leesa Manion wrote.

"He then wound up and swung at the victim, striking her in the face and head with the wooden board," she added.

"The wooden board had a long metal screw in the end of it that cut into the victim’s face and head," Manion said.

Marken was hit so hard that she was struck down before Pea picked up his bag and "continued walking up the street, leaving the victim bleeding behind him," according to Manion.

Several witnesses on the street called 911 and helped Marken before paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital, where she was treated for a broken nose, a broken cheek bone and blindness in her right eye.

Marken has been told they she will never recover her sight in that eye, her son Andrius Dyrikis said in a GoFundMe to help cover the medical costs and ongoing treatments the family now has to pay for.

"For a woman who worked every day to support herself and her family, this attack took more than her health," he said. "It stole her independence, her ability to work, and the sense of safety she once had."

"Now even the simplest tasks are difficult," Dyrikis said. "She faces a long road of surgeries, recovery, and emotional healing."

Pea has been charged with assault in the first degree with a deadly weapon, "which means he’d face a longer sentencing range if convicted as charged," the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told Newsweek.

His bail was set at $1 million after prosecutors argued Pea is a "substantial danger to the community and is likely to commit a violent offense."

Pea’s arraignment was set for December 11, when his defense lawyers requested a competency evaluation, to assess whether Pea is mentally competent enough to take part in the case, which was granted.

What People Are Saying

Investor and commentator Nawfal said in a post on X: "Cops arrested him a block away. They knew exactly who he was. Everyone did. Court records show multiple assaults, including stabbing someone eight times. He’s been punching random people for years. This time, he escalated—and now a grandmother is permanently blinded.

"And guess what? He was out walking free. Because in America, violent repeat offenders get endless second chances—courtesy of soft-on-crime judges and politicians more worried about "equity" than public safety.

"How many more people need to be maimed before the justice system starts protecting victims instead of predators?"

A conservative account called C3 (@C_3C_3) said in a post on X: "75 year old Jeanette Marken was victim of an unprovoked attack by REPEAT violent offender Fale Vaigalepa Pea. She lost an eye and broke her nose and cheekbone.

"Fale has a long violent record of stabbings to drugs. Judges kept releasing him to terrorize others. This must stop!"

Former police officer and political commentator Brandon Tatum said in a post on X: "75 year old Jeanette Marken was victim of an unprovoked attack by REPEAT violent offender Fale Vaigalepa Pea. She lost an eye and broke her nose and cheekbone. Fale has a long violent record of stabbings to drugs. Judges SHOULD be held accountable when they keep releasing criminals to terrorize others."

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s McNerthney told Newsweek: "Looking back more than a decade, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged each of the two violent crimes involving this defendant that police referred to our office—one that led to that felony assault conviction in 2012 and the other being the current case."

What Happens Next

The arraignment is essentially paused until doctors or evaluators decide whether Pea is competent to proceed. The next hearing is scheduled for December 29.

As public discussion intensifies, the case is likely to influence ongoing debates about bail, mental health interventions, and public safety in Seattle and beyond.