A homeless Seattle man was caught on camera brutally beating a woman with a baseball bat during a random attack as she walked home. The King County Prosecutors' Office released video on Monday that captures the moment when the lady was struck from behind by a guy with a baseball bat.
The man who fled the scene after attacking the woman was later arrested and identified as Wantez Tulloss, 31, who has a long rap sheet. He was charged for the attack on Friday. According to police records, Tulloss has been arrested 11 times going back to 2012 and was wanted in Washington for third degree theft.
Almost Fatal
Surveillance footage obtained by KING-TV shows the suspect, allegedly Tulloss coming from behind and dropping two bags that he was holding so he could wield a bat with both hands and attack the woman.
The woman doesn't notice him as she walked alone home in the 200 block of Cedar Street in the city's Belltown neighborhood around 6:30 pm on January 31. Tulloss is then seen taking a full-body swing at the woman's head and finally delivers a bloody blow, police said.
The woman immediately falls on her face to the ground as Tulloss picks up his belongings and leaves.
The woman, who works at Amazon, was discovered on her back with blood pouring from her right ear, when police arrived. According to criminal records, she sustained skull fractures, a potential concussion, and required "major surgery" as a result of the assault.
During investigation, the woman told police that she didn't see the attacker as he came form behind. Tulloss after leaving went to a shop to grab a slice of pizza before returning to his home.
Police traced Tulloss after identifying him as a homeless man from the surveillance footage and later arrested him.
Deadly Attacks
He was arrested from his apartment. Tulloss, who has been charged with assault, is a homeless man currently living in transitional housing with "few rules," according to The Jason Rantz Show.
The King County Prosecutor's Office charged the 31-year-old with assault, arguing that he is a danger to the community.
"The randomness, the viciousness of it. It's absolutely disturbing that's why we rush filed the case," said Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecutor's Office. "This Video is nauseating, it's awful to watch. But we have prosecutors who are doing everything they can to hold this person accountable and we're going to keep doing it whether it's this case or other cases."
According to police records many people on the street had seen Tulloss swinging the bat in an alleyway just moments before. One witness claimed they heard him slam Wang's head against a concrete wall and mistook it for a concrete wall because of the sound.
That said Tulloss is a seasoned offender with a long rap sheet. Fourth-degree assault, theft, and careless driving are among the counts against the tattooed criminal's rap sheet. It is unclear when he was last in jail but it's puzzling why he's out on the streets when he poses such a threat to society.
At the time of the Belltown attack, investigators said he had a warrant for theft out of the Kirkland Municipal Court.
