Man accused of vicious attack on elderly woman declared fit for trial

A judge said a man accused of a vicious attack on a 75-year-old woman in downtown Seattle is fit to stand trial.

Prosecutors accused 42-year-old Fale Vaigalepa Pea of hitting the victim in the face with a wooden board that had a metal screw sticking out.

Police body camera video from the incident showed officers knew Pea well. One called him “notorious for random assaults on Third Avenue.”

“He’s a regular,” another officer said. “He usually punches. I guess today he decided to escalate things way worse than his usual.”

The attack, earlier this month near the King County Courthouse, blinded the victim in one eye.

“She’s surviving, but what police said is that she might lose sight in one of her eyes,” Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said. “That’s just awful.”

Pea was charged with assault in the first degree and pleaded not guilty after a mental health evaluation cleared him for trial. Investigation showed he also had a conviction for assault in the second degree from 2012.

SPD receives reports of man swinging a wooden stick, attacking woman

On December 5, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) received several reports of a man swinging a wooden stick with metal screws in it, SPD reported.

“He swung the stick like a baseball bat, intentionally striking her in the face, causing serious facial injuries,” SPD Detective Eric Muñoz told KIRO Newsradio.

The victim then fell backwards onto the ground with “a laceration that was bleeding heavily,” according to the police report.

“This was a violent attack against an elderly woman who had no opportunity to protect herself. She had no opportunity to defend herself,” Muñoz said.

Several bystanders rushed to help the woman and called 911 as Pea reportedly walked away from the scene. During this time, an analyst in the SPD Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) located Pea and informed SPD officers of his location.

Deputies detain suspect immediately after assault

Five minutes after the assault, King County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Pea and detained him without incident.

Deputies transferred Pea to SPD custody, and after a review of the footage of the attack from the RTCC, he was arrested.

The Seattle Fire Department treated the victim for serious facial injuries, and paramedics transported her to Harborview Medical Center for emergency surgery.

SPD noted Pea is a previously convicted felon with a “violent person” caution. He was booked into the King County Jail for assault in the first degree, and his weapon was seized as evidence.

“This person is previously known to law enforcement as a violent person, and he’s also a convicted felon for assault, so he was booked into the King County Jail for assault first degree,” Muñoz explained.

This story was originally posted on December 9, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: Jason Sutich, MyNorthwest; Aaron Granillo, James Lynch, and Tom Brock, KIRO Newsradio