As the City of Dallas continues to battle the problem of homelessness and vagrancy, one resident has shared a frightening incident that her husband experienced in their community.
“My husband was attacked by a homeless person while sitting in a parking lot near Carrol (sic) and Abrams,” said Jennifer Rodriguez on Nextdoor, a social networking service for neighborhoods. “He beat our car with a hammer. Broke out the windows!”
She explained that her husband got out of the vehicle, and the apparently homeless individual allegedly attacked him with a hammer. The victim suffered a head injury and torn rotator cuff, according to Rodriguez.
The couple was able to file charges. Still, Rodriguez stated that the man did not immediately receive jail time but was later arrested.
“I’m afraid of random people, people panhandling,” she said. “Sorry, but this has really gotten out of hand. And, FYI, they don’t want a ride to the nearest shelter. They know where it is and don’t want to be there for various reasons. Mostly because they don’t want to follow rules!”
Rodriguez’s post piggybacked off another user’s photo of abandoned items apparently left by a homeless person.
“Hey, Y’all, I noticed what I thought was abandoned items by a homeless person on Abrams in between Victor and Fulton,” said Jennifer E. “I just drove by and saw a male there, and I can only assume these are his belongings. I called 311 last week to have the trash removed. I believe it fell under Illegal Dumping and takes 3-7 business days to be resolved.”
Whether the man who attacked Rodriguez’s husband is the same person who owned the items in Jennifer’s post has not been confirmed. However, the area allegedly has a homelessness and vagrancy issue.
“I really don’t want a homeless person living on the other side of the fence where he can visibly see me. I would like to continue to enjoy being in my backyard,” added Jennifer. She also stated she did not want the man to lose his belongings.
In an update, the City said it planned to clean the debris, according to Jennifer, and she said that she had not seen the man again.
The district’s Dallas City Councilmember Paul E. Ridley did not respond to The Dallas Express’ request for comment.