Michelle Yi, a player on Survivor: Fiji from 2006 through 2007, was beaten with a metal baton early Thursday morning in Santa Monica, California, multiple outlets have confirmed.
According to local police, the alleged assailant had attacked two other people prior to her altercation with Li.
Shortly before 6 a.m. last Thursday, Yi showed up at the pilates studio where she taught classes, per the official report.
As her students started to arrive, Yi noticed a disheveled and agitated woman approaching the open front door.
“She was yelling all sorts of things like, ‘You stole my identity’ and, ‘You’re a prostitute,'” Yi told People Magazine.
“Santa Monica has a homeless problem, and I’ve dealt with this type of thing before. So I told her, ‘Ma’am, you can’t be here. You need to leave.'”
However, the woman (since identified as 25-year old Alexandria Diaz) refused to walk away.
Yi says the woman then lunged at her with a sharp weapon in one hand and a metal baton in the other.
“She stabbed me in the left bicep,” says Yi. “And then she hit me on the right hand with the baton. My Apple Watch shattered.”
Yi went on to detail how the attacker clubbed her on the head with the baton.
“My face split open,” says Yi. “Blood was everywhere.”
As the woman ran off, Yi and one of her students attempted to call 911… only to get a message that all operators were “currently busy.”
Minutes later, People writes, they flagged down a police car on the street.
“When we arrived, the suspect was still on the scene,” Lieutenant Rudy Flores, a spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department, tells People.
“The officers took her into custody and interviewed the victims and the witnesses.”
Yi was taken to the hospital and underwent several X-rays.
Thankfully, she notes, nothing was broken.
“I can’t say why she attacked me, of all people,” continued Yi. to People
“But she was a white lady who attacked three people that morning. Another victim was an elderly Asian man who was walking his dog, and the third was also a person of color.
“I can’t prove whether it was racially motivated or not, but she was screaming all sorts of awful things at me.
“The facts are what they are.”
Diaz has been charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. She remains in custody.
Yi competed on Survivor 15 years ago and quckly became a fan favorite on her season.
“Physically, I’m on the mend,” she says. “Emotionally, it’s harder, but I should be okay.”
We send Michelle Yi our best wishes.
