In Seattle, Washington, a shocking incident unfolded when a man wielded a board embedded with a screw, striking a 75-year-old woman in the eye on a busy downtown street corner, according to authorities. The assault left the woman partially blinded.

Fale Pea, aged 42, faces charges of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, resulting in serious injury, as per court documents reviewed by Law&Crime. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

The disturbing event took place late in the morning on December 5th, near the King County Courthouse on Third Avenue in Seattle, known as the Emerald City. Surveillance cameras from local ABC affiliate KOMO captured the moment when Jeanette Marken stood at the corner, reportedly waiting to cross and collect a food order.

In an unexpected turn, an individual identified as Pea approached, holding a lengthy wooden board, and swung it forcefully.

Marken was struck in her right eye, resulting in the eye being gouged out, according to local reports. Onlookers quickly photographed the alleged attacker before rushing to assist Marken. She was transported to a hospital, where medical professionals confirmed the loss of vision in her right eye and indicated she might require further surgeries.

Police arrested Pea nearby, with police body camera footage showing officers knew about the suspect from prior events.

“Who is this guy?” a paramedic asked the officer who was wearing the body camera.

“He’s a regular,” he responds. “He usually punches. I guess today he decided to escalate things way worse than his usual.”

The officer added that Pea frequents Third Avenue, with another cop saying, “He’s notorious for random assaults on Third,” per the video obtained by KOMO. The suspect has reportedly been convicted multiple times in the past for assault, including stabbing someone eight times at a party.

Court records show a competency hearing was initiated for Pea on Dec. 11. On Monday, a judge declared that he has been deemed fit to stand trial.

For Marken’s family, the violence on the street and the question of whether the attack could have been avoided loom large.

“To take a wood club with nails and just, no, I’m going to hit her with all the force on her face is like — that’s not someone you can recover or help,” Andrius Vyrikis, her son, told the local TV station. “I want someone to at least say to my mom, ‘hey, we’re working on this. We’re trying to fix this.’”

“What the h— is wrong with your system?” he asked.

Pea is jailed under a $1 million bond. His trial is expected to begin sometime early next year.