SAN DIEGO — People who live near Balboa Park said they are fed up with crime, following the unprovoked attack on seniors.
The attack happened near Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street on November 14 and left two seniors with serious injuries.
Neighbors in the area said it's due to an uptick in people experiencing homelessness coming into their neighborhood.
"Menacingly, attacking people unprovoked," said one witness.
People who saw the attacks described a frightening scene and said an unhoused person who appeared to be on drugs started randomly attacking people.
Police arrested 34-year-old Alexander Birgel. He's being held without bail. Court documents show it's not the first time something like this has happened. He was arrested earlier this month for beating another stranger into unconsciousness.
"So, he should have been put on a hold because he's a danger to society, but he was released onto the streets again with very little supervision,” said Bankers Hill resident, Miryam Salehijam.
Salehijam heard about the attacks from a group of neighbors who regularly meet to talk about crime in the area.
CBS 8 has done stories in the past about their concerns, specifically related to an uptick of people experiencing homelessness in the area who trash public bathrooms, take over the playground at night and act violent.
Salehijam said when police do sweeps downtown of the homeless population, more of the unhoused wind up here.
"Anytime they do a big tent cleanup anywhere, we see a spike in our neighborhood because of our proximity to the park, where there's space for camping, there's access to water, they can use some of the street lights to plug into electricity. And where we're growing concerned is that there seems to be not sufficient patrolling in our streets," said Salehijam.
Salehijam said she and her neighbors have called 911 - only to be told their concerns aren't an emergency or that help can't come right away.
They've also filed complaints with both the mayor and council member Stephen Whitburn's office, as well as the city's ‘Get it Done’ app.
"The ‘Get it Done’ app is ridiculous. I can report something and it'll say 200 days," said Salehijam.
"We're aware of the Bankers Hill area. We're aware of the crime that recently occurred there,” said Captain Steve Shebloski, with SDPD's Neighborhood Policing Division.
He said they're working to address the problem by hiring more officers to contact unhoused people in the area and improve response times.
“Since Chief Wahl has taken over, there's been a renewed commitment towards how we address homelessness as an organization,” said Captain Shebloski.
Chief Wahl, along with another captain, met with Bankers Hill residents this week.
Councilmember Stephen Whitburn has also gotten involved telling CBS 8:
“Our District 3 residents deserve safety and security in their neighborhoods. The recent attacks in our community are unacceptable. I've been in direct dialogue with the Bankers Hill community about their concerns, and I attended the Bankers Hill Community Group Safety Committee meeting last month to listen to residents personally. Additionally, my office has requested an increased police presence there. We will continue to work collaboratively with both residents and law enforcement to ensure our streets are safe for everyone.”