A homeless man who is also a serial criminal with a long rap sheet was caught on video repeatedly throwing an elderly nurse down a flight of stairs in Seattle.
In the brutal and apparently unprovoked attack, Alexander Jay, 40, is seen on surveillance footage at a Seattle light rail station grabbing Kim Hayes, 62, and throwing her down a flight of cement steps at the Chinatown-International District station, according to court documents.
Hayes, a nurse, was on her way to Harborview Medical Center, where she has worked for 25 years, when the attack occurred around noon on March 2.
Hayes was rushed to the same hospital at which she works and diagnosed with a broken clavicle and three broken ribs and underwent surgery there.
Jay was arrested the next day about a half mile from the crime scene. He was charged with second-degree assault. As of Monday morning, he remained in custody on $150,000 bail. His next court date is March 24.
“Jay has been convicted 22 times in Washington state and California, including on charges of burglary, theft, selling stolen property, drug possession, auto theft and multiple counts of domestic violence,” the Daily Mail reported. “He was most recently convicted in 2021 of a residential burglary.”
Meanwhile, he has been issued more than 15 bench warrants since 2016 by Washington courts for his failure to attend court hearings.
In the graphic surveillance footage of the attack, Jay is seen riding the escalator parallel to the staircase, where the nurse is walking up the stairs to exit the station. He appears to rush to the top of the escalator and intercept her as she reaches the top of the staircase, when he grabs her and throws her down the steps. She is seen falling down head over heels before ending up on a landing. Before she is able to get up, however, the suspect attacks her again, throwing her down more steps. He runs after her and tries to throw her down a third time, this time kicking her, but she holds onto the railing and he eventually flees, climbing back up the stairs and exiting the station.
Several people are seen walking by the attack as the violent interaction but do not stop to intervene.
According to police, the suspect and victim had been in the same light rail car prior to the attack, but they had not interacted with one another.
Hayes was reportedly later able to identify Jay as her attacker, noticing the cross tattoo on his cheek.
Jay is also being investigated in a stabbing at a bus station that happened just after the attack on Hayes.
“The description of the stabbing suspect was similar to the suspect in the assault, and both descriptions included the cross tattoo on his left cheek,” the Seattle Police Department said in a statement.
The shocking attack comes as Seattles continues to struggle with rising crime and homelessness.
Last week, Amazon announced that it would relocate about 1,800 employees out of downtown Seattle, citing recent crime and safety concerns.