Assault at San Francisco convenience store caught on camera
SAN FRANCISCO - Prosecutors in San Francisco have charged 26-year-old Jessica Blazee with felony assault, saying she launched an unprovoked attack on another woman.
That attack was caught on camera. The suspect in the case is in jail as of Thursday night, after pleading not guilty.
Surveillance video of the attack on Tuesday afternoon posted to Nextdoor is shocking. The victim walks into the Kansas Food Market in Potrero Hill.
Moments later another woman enters and begins hitting the victim from behind with a bag containing a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. That woman then begins pulling the victim's hair and punching her until the victim falls to the floor. The attack continues until the shop clerk runs off the assailant.
San Francisco police arrested Blazee from Oakland shortly after the attack. She appeared in court Thursday where prosecutors formally charged her with felony assault. Through her attorney, she pleaded not guilty.
"So, the next step in the process is, we do have some concerns about mental health," said Jack Lamar Jr. "I don't know Ms. Blazee, she was having a difficult time explaining some of her background. So what we did was ask the court to do an in-custody assessment of her mental health condition."
In court, the prosecutor said she struck the victim at least 10 times in a flurry of blows. The district attorney's office released a statement about the attack saying in part, "It is random acts of violence like this that negatively impact a feeling of safety in communities."
Blazee's defense attorney said the bottle in the attack was plastic, not glass, and at the time of the incident, Blazee was wearing a hospital bracelet and may have recently been released from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, just a few blocks away from the incident.
Her defender said while the incident may have been captured on video, it doesn't necessarily tell the whole story.
"I think the video tells one part of the story," said Lamar. "But, this is a real person, with a real history and the video doesn't share what that history is."
The shopkeeper who drove off the attacker didn't want to talk on camera, but neighbors in the area say they're surprised to hear about the unprovoked attack.
"I mean, it's a big city, right," said Bryan Sandt. "Stuff happens. But it is a little surprising. I think generally, this is a really safe neighborhood."
The suspect in the case is due back in court at the end of the month. If she is released from custody, the judge also issued an order to stay away from the victim and the convenience store.