A homeless man has denied attacking and threatening to kill NCIS actress Pauley Perrette outside her Hollywood home.
David Merck, 45, was charged with felony criminal threats and imprisonment by violence for allegedly attacking Perrette on Thursday evening in the 6000 block of Cahuenga Terrace. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Perrette, 46, who plays forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on the CBS series "NCIS", tweeted that she was attacked near her Hollywood home around 5 p.m. Thursday.
According to BBC, the actress was hit in the face several times and nearly going to die, she told her Twitter followers. In a long post, she described the man as "psychotic", adding, "I am shaken and traumatized... I almost died tonight".
Perrette remembered how, as she lay collapsed on the ground, a man walked past "on his phone, annoyed. Did nothing." "Tonight was awful, life-changing and I'm only grateful to be alive". said the actress in her tweet.
Her friend James followed the said man, took a photo of the sketch and tracked down the attacker until police were able to arrive.
Then after the attack, Perrette received flooded support. Even the passerby who ignored her has since visited her home to apologize, she said on Twitter.
The man who was walking his dog and didn't help Perrette told CBS2 that he didn't recognize the actress and felt awful about what happened.
Perrette, a well-known advocate for civil rights and the homeless, finished her initial tweet about the attack on a personal note as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
But as for Merck, he has a lengthy criminal history, said LAPD Sgt. Bob Ward. He was arrested roughly an hour after the attack. He is being held at Twin Towers Correction Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to county jail records.
If convicted as charged, Merck faces up to four years in prison.
Join the Conversation