A Seattle woman accused of biting a chunk of flesh from a stranger’s forehead after directing racist and homophobic language at her will undergo a competency evaluation before her felony assault case moves forward.
Kamilia Chadli, 36, appeared in King County Superior Court on Monday, Sept. 28, following the Sept. 18 attack on Diana Gonzalez in downtown Seattle. Chadli is charged with second-degree assault.
Her attorney requested the evaluation based on information in the case and conversations with Chadli. Judge Nelson Lee granted the request, and the case is scheduled to return to court Oct. 13, MyNorthwest reported.
Chadli remains in the King County Jail on $150,000 bail. Although Seattle police initially referred the case to prosecutors for consideration of both felony assault and a hate crime offense, prosecutors have not filed a hate crime charge.
A Wrapper Thrown
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The encounter began around 3:45 p.m. near Third Avenue and Marion Street, where Gonzalez was walking to a convenience store near her workplace.
The Seattle Police Department said Gonzalez told officers a stranger threw a food wrapper at her as she walked past.
Gonzalez asked why she had done it. Police said the woman responded by calling Gonzalez “the inferior race” and using a homophobic slur.
The woman then spit on Gonzalez, grabbed her and pulled her to the ground.
While they were on the ground, police said the attacker sank her teeth into Gonzalez’s forehead and tore away a circular piece of flesh about an inch in diameter.
“This was a totally random attack,” Gonzalez told KOMO News. “She started yelling racist things after throwing trash and spitting on me. Then she bit my face — she bit a piece of my face off.”
A Witness Steps In
A nearby worker saw the struggle and intervened.
In the KIRO report, Williams Arginal, identified as a valet at the Arctic Hotel, described finding the women on the ground and separating them.
“They broke up. Um they got up. She was like, ‘Oh my god, she bit me.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god, she bit you,’” he said.
Police said the attacker then left the scene. The witness followed her and eventually flagged down a King County marshal working at the nearby courthouse.
When Seattle police arrived, officers found Gonzalez bleeding heavily and a piece of flesh in a grate near the scene.
Gonzalez later identified Chadli, who was arrested.
Detective Shane Weatherford praised the bystander for intervening, telling KIRO that stepping into a violent confrontation to bring another person to safety was not something he saw often.
“I think we could use a lot more people that are looking out for each other when they see something going wrong,” Weatherford said.
The Injury Remains
Seattle Fire personnel evaluated Gonzalez before she was taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Gonzalez later underwent a skin graft to close the wound. Prosecutors said the injury will leave her with a permanent scar.
“I can’t believe she bit a piece of my face off,” Gonzalez told KOMO. “That’s the main thing that is still shocking.”
Police arrested Chadli on suspicion of felony assault and a hate crime offense, but the distinction between an arrest referral and the charge ultimately filed is important.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Chadli with second-degree assault. Prosecutors told KIRO that a hate crime is a separate offense under Washington law rather than an enhancement automatically attached to the assault charge.
“Though a hate crime is not charged now, that charge may still be added later in the case if the evidence can meet the burden required by state law,” the prosecutor’s office said.
No additional hate crime charge had been filed by the time of Chadli’s Sept. 28 court appearance.
Lee granted the defense request for a competency evaluation Monday but did not change Chadli’s release conditions. She remained jailed on $150,000 bail as the case was continued to Oct. 13.