SAN DIEGO, California — She was four months pregnant, parked at a drive-thru ATM on a quiet Tuesday morning. She had no reason to think anything was wrong.
Then a stranger came up from behind and stabbed her in the neck.
A Random Attack in Broad Daylight
It happened on June 15, 2024, at around 10 a.m. outside a Target store in the Mira Mesa neighborhood of San Diego.
The 25-year-old woman had stepped out of her vehicle to reach the ATM machine. She never saw Cole Klemke coming.
He said nothing. He took nothing. He simply approached her from behind and began stabbing her in the neck, chin, and shoulder.
When she fell to the ground, he kept going.
She Fought Back
The victim refused to stop fighting.
She kicked Klemke hard enough that he turned and ran. Then, bleeding from multiple wounds, she pulled herself back into her car.
She tried to stop the bleeding with her hands — but said there were “too many wounds to cover with two hands.”
Authorities arrived, rushed her to the hospital, and she was released that same day. Her baby survived.
Community Helped Catch Him
Detectives pulled footage from inside the Target store showing Klemke in the moments before the attack.
When police released photos of the suspect, community members recognized him and came forward. Officers arrested Klemke the very next day.
He was 27 years old at the time. Surveillance video confirmed what investigators already knew — the victim had no idea he was behind her.
‘I’m Grateful to Be Alive’
This week, nearly two years after the attack, Klemke was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder.
The victim did not attend the sentencing in person. But she delivered a statement remotely.
“I’m grateful to be alive and have worked very hard to rebuild my life,” she said, “but this crime left permanent physical scars, lasting emotional trauma, and burdens that my family and I continue to carry every day.”
Those words stayed in the courtroom long after she finished speaking.
What do you think about this sentence — is 10 years enough for an attack like this? Share your thoughts in the comments.