A 72-year-old customer of was allegedly stabbed by a homeless woman Monday afternoon in Studio City, and Los Angeles Police Senior Lead Officer Mike Lewis said they have arrested a 52-year-old woman, Andrea Gandy, on charges of attempted murder. Gandy is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.
The victim, Len Kalcheim, 72, was a longtime customer of the cleaners that has been at the Ventura Boulevard location for more than 30 years. He underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and is said to be in stable condition after surgery.
The owner of the cleaners, Jim Ebiahaimian, was still confined by police in the store a few hours after the incident that occurred at about 12:25 in the afternoon in the mini-mall area where andis located. He talked to Studio City Patch and told as much of the story as he knows.
"I was in the back talking to my tailor and I could see my longtime customer walking from his car and this black woman looked like she was hitting him," Ebiahaimian said. "He came up to me and there was blood all over his shirt, he was full of blood and asking for help. I called the ambulance. He was leaking blood all over."
North Hollywood Police Division Capt. Justin Eisenberg of the Los Angeles Police Department said, "This attack seems to be completely random" and he said the woman was apprehended only a few blocks from the scene just after the incident. He described the unidentified woman as a transient who had a knife.
Officer Lewis said, the woman "walked up to the victim and began yelling at him, she then began stabbing him. The victim was stabbed two times, once in the arm and back. The suspect then walked away. A number of citizen's observed the incident and called the police. One witness followed the suspect and directed us to her location. She was then arrested on Valleyheart and Guerin."
Ebiahaimian said he has never seen the homeless woman in the area before, and Lewis said, "It's safe to say that she has mental problems and she has been hospitalized before including Patton State Hospital. After she was arrested she was booked for attempted murder."
Ebiahaimian said, "I am very worried about the man, he was a good customer. I hope he is OK. I felt like I wasn't able to do anything for him."
Still confined to the store in the shopping center whereis as the sun was setting, the owner said, "I have never seen anything like this before in this area. They are now sending someone over to wash up all the blood. I still cannot go out."
