An 80-year-old woman is recovering after a suspect attacked her and tried to rob her in a Kroger parking lot in North Knoxville on May 29.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, the victim was trying to get to her car at the Kroger near Fulton High School off North Broadway when a woman approached her wanting to talk around 1:30 p.m.
According to KPD, the victim told her she did not want to talk-- and when she tried to get inside her car to get away from the suspect, the woman attacked her.
Police said the suspect grabbed the victim's arms to the point where it deeply broke skin and then sprayed her in the face with a type of mace.
The suspect ran after a witness stepped in to help the senior citizen and the robbery wasn't successful, according to police.
"I looked back, and I see her, the old lady on the ground, and I was like I better take care of her," said Ashley Mayanja, the witness police say stepped in.
Mayanja said she was planning to get groceries and heard what she thought was an argument between a mother and daughter behind her.
That's when KPD says Mayanja stepped in.
"She probably stopped the attack from going on any further because when she stepped in, that's when the suspect fled the area at that point," said KPD investigator Timothy Evan Thornton.
Mayanja said she was scared but her adrenaline kicked in.
"What do I do, is this now the time to act, do I do it now, do I call somebody, but there were other people standing around, and I was like, 'This isn't right,'" Mayanja said.
KPD said the woman is doing ok, but is shaken.
"We do the best we can to try to apprehend this person so she can feel safe to do something as simple as going grocery shopping again," Thornton said.
The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for serious injuries to her arms and hands. KPD shared pictures of her wounds below to emphasize the seriousness of the attack, which may be disturbing to some.
"She grabbed her so hard that she literally pulled the skin from this elderly woman's arms," Thornton said.
KPD said a suspect hasn't been located and it's asking for help to find the woman, saying leads were developed on potential suspects in the investigation.
The suspect is believed to be a white female, roughly 5'5" with blondish-gray hair and possibly green eyes.
Anyone who witnessed the attack or might know anything are asked to call the department's crime line at 865-215-7212.