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Kim Glass, former Olympic volleyball player, says she was attacked by homeless man in LA

HOLLYWOOD, CA - JULY 16: Professional volleyball player Kim Glass arrives at ESPN the Magazine's "Body Issue" 5th annual ESPY's event at Lure on July 16, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A former Olympic volleyball player is recovering after she says she was attacked and brutally beaten by a homeless man in downtown Los Angeles.

Kim Glass said she was leaving lunch with a friend on Saturday when the man ran up out of nowhere and threw a metal object at her, believed to be a pipe, that then hit her face.

A group of strangers came to her aid until paramedics arrived and other people held down the man who allegedly attacked her until police got to the scene.

In a video posted to social media, Glass could be seen with one eye nearly swollen shut. She says the attack left her with a fractured cheek and she also had to get stitches.

Despite those injuries, Glass said she is OK and it could’ve been much worse.

“Guys, just be safe out there… I wasn’t ready for it and there’s a lot of mentally ill people on these streets right now,” she said in the video.

Eyewitness News reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department about the incident, but hasn’t heard back yet.

Glass won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the U.S.A. women’s indoor volleyball team. She’s also done some modeling in her career, once appearing in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.