SALT LAKE CITY - A week after being stabbed and beaten by a stranger outside a Salt Lake City restaurant, the victim is speaking out in hopes of helping police catch the suspect.
Police say the woman, who doesn't want to be identified, was in the parking lot of Faustina restaurant at 454 East and 300 South at around 8:15 p.m. last Tuesday when a man armed with a knife approached her.
The woman says she initially thought the suspect was late for a dinner date, until she felt a thump on the back of her head.
"He just kept hitting me and punching me and stabbing me. He was mainly going for my eyes and throat. He just wanted to kill me," she said.
The man reportedly threatened to slit the woman's throat, then a struggle ensued and the woman was stabbed in the neck.
"And that's when he stabbed me through my face and through my throat to try and shut me up and I kept screaming through that. Like I say, he was acting like a zombie, he wasn't reacting to anything," she said.
The man finally ran away and the woman staggered into Faustina.
"They were shocked when a woman came in asking for help. She was bleeding pretty badly. They grabbed her, sat her down and called 911," said Jared Young, owner of Faustina.
The woman was hospitalized with stab wounds to her face and neck, severe bruising to the back of her head and defensive wounds on her arms. She survived, but she says the physical and psychological wounds are still fresh.
She's worried that the suspect is still out there and she's convinced he would have killed her had she not fought back and screamed for help.
"I need to make sure to get this guy off the street and let people know he's out there," she said.
The woman says her attacker was white with short hair, some facial stubble and a thin build. Anyone with information is asked to contact Salt Lake City Police at 801-799-3000.
