HOLLYWOOD HILLS—”NCIS” actress Pauley Perrette was assaulted near her home on Thursday, November 12, the actress reported via Twitter.
According to reports, police charged 45-year-old David Merck, a homeless man, with felony battery. Perrette described him in her post as “a VERY psychotic homeless man.”
The actress was walking in her neighborhood around 5 p.m. when she was jumped, pinned to the ground and punched repeatedly. Her attacker told her that he was going to kill her.
The attacker eventually told Perrette to leave, and she fled, after which she sketched a picture that she sent to a friend who called the police.
Merck was charged on Monday, November 16 with attacking and threatening Perrette by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors asked that his bail be set at $60,000.
Perrette has been a civil rights activist and an advocate for the homeless, and she writes in her Twitter post urging better mental health care and housing for the homeless. She doesn’t feel any ill will towards her attacker, she said in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight. The actress is well-known for her role on the hit CBS series “NCIS,” which debuted back in 2003.
The suspect is being charged with one felony count each of making a criminal threat and false imprisonment by violence. If convicted, Merck could spend 4 years in a state prison. The case is still under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.