A 75-year-old Seattle woman was permanently blinded earlier this month after being struck from behind in a random downtown attack, according to newly released surveillance footage, police body-camera video, and court records — an incident that has received limited attention beyond local reporting and a small number of national outlets.
The attacker a repeat offender, 42-year-old Fale Vaigalepa Pea attacked 75-year-old Jeanette Marken from behind and struck the face with a stick which left her blinded in her right eyepic.twitter.com/fcQEsVFLtK
— Aryan (@chinchat09) December 23, 2025
The attack occurred December 5 outside the King County Courthouse. Surveillance video released by KOMO News shows 42-year-old Fale Vaigalepa Pea approaching Jeanette Marken from behind and striking her in the face with a wooden board containing a protruding screw. Marken suffered multiple facial fractures and permanently lost vision in her right eye.
Police body-camera footage shows officers at the scene immediately recognizing Pea as a known offender. One officer described him as “notorious for random assaults” in the downtown area, according to KOMO.
Court records show Pea had been booked into the King County Jail eight times in 2025 alone prior to the attack. Despite repeated arrests this year for offenses including assault and unlawful use of weapons, none resulted in felony charges before the incident involving Marken.
Prosecutors have charged Pea with first-degree assault with a deadly weapon enhancement. Bail was set at $1 million, and a competency hearing is scheduled for later this month. Pea is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The incident has been reported by KOMO News and other Seattle-area outlets, as well as by New York Post, The Center Square, and a small number of additional syndicated publications. However, neither Dallas Morning News nor Fort Worth Star-Telegram has published a story on the attack as of publication.
More broadly, several major national outlets — including the Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, NBC News, CBS News, USA Today, The New York Times, and The Washington Post — have not run standalone coverage despite the availability of video evidence and charging documents.
