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California Woman Shares Story From Hospital Bed Of Being Stabbed And Fighting Off Attacker
Watch the video to hear Leigh Collins's brave account of fighting off an attempted rape.
A graphic designer who fought off a man who broke into her Santa Monica apartment has shared her brave story from her hospital bed. On February 23, Leigh Collins woke up to find a man in her apartment. After going under surgery to treat one of the injuries she suffered during the attack, she posted a video update, explaining what happened.
“He held me at knifepoint and wanted money,” Collins said. “I gave him money and he attempted to rape me.”
Collins was stabbed multiple times. She can be seen wearing a cast over her forearm, one of the places she was stabbed, according to KTLA.
"I have another, maybe 4 to 5-inch stab wound on my forearm, another about the same length and width on the back of my left tricep, one stab injury to my left elbow that went down to the bone and cut through the tendon," Collins said.
It’s clear she has a black eye. In the clip, Collins says that portions of her fingers were cut off.
“He cut off a good part of my ring finger of my left hand and a little bit of my pinky finger of my left hand,” she said, adding that the doctors have been able to reattach the tendons and she will be undergoing physical therapy.
Because she works with her hands, the finger injuries will negatively impact her job.
Santa Monica Police Lt. Saul Rodriguez told KTLA that through fighting back, Collins saved herself from a potentially grimmer scenario.
“As scary as it was, I came out on the winning side of it,” Collins said.
Collins appears to be in good spirits.
"I have a room full of people around me — people that I love very much — and they're helping, and they're amazing," she said. "And I wish I could be with all of you."
A GoFundMe campaign set up for Collins calls her “an absolute badass.”
Rashad Devon Harris, 25, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, kidnapping and other charges, according to KTLA. He is being held without bail and it’s unclear at this time if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
[Photo: Facebook, GoFundMe]
