A Texas family wanted to enjoy the nice weather with a trip to a nearby park for an afternoon of fishing on April 18, 2026. While relaxing in the San Antonio sun, a man reportedly appeared out of nowhere and began attacking 27-year-old Gabriella Perez. After she fought him off, the man allegedly went after her 3-year-old daughter. A group of Good Samaritans held him down until police arrived. Perez’s daughter ended up with multiple injuries, including losing two teeth in the vicious attack.
The family did not know the alleged attacker.
KSAT reported that 24-year-old Atharva Vyas appeared from the woods at Espada Park around 3 p.m. According to court documents obtained by the station, Vyas allegedly attacked Perez first. The mother said he punched her and pulled her hair, which caused her to drop her daughter. With Perez on the ground, Vyas then moved onto the child.
The grown man reportedly attacked the defenseless toddler.
After Perez fell, Vyas allegedly bit the toddler’s face until a group of strangers stepped in to subdue him. They held him on the ground until police arrived.
“I think when everyone was there I got up and was like this is like a f—–g zombie movie. Like what the heck,” Perez told KSAT.
The little girl received serious injuries that required medical care.
The story put fear into some people.
Hearing that a woman and her child faced such a brutal attack at the hands of a stranger made some people afraid. But in a post to social media, one person showed a bit of empathy for the alleged attacker.
“My heart goes out to that child and their family. No one should ever have to experience fear like that,” the man wrote on Facebook. “But I’ll be honest—another thought I had was this: this man has a demon. Because you’ve got to be in a dark place, influenced by the enemy, to want to hurt or scare a child. When I saw the photos, it honestly made me think about how real the devil’s work is in this world.”
Perez shared more details on a GoFundMe page.
The distraught mother created the fundraiser to help with ongoing medical costs for her daughter related to the random attack. She explained that her child no longer wants to attend day care or be without her mother. Perez had to take time off from work to help her young child heal.
“The attacker targeted both of us, and my daughter suffered severe injuries to her face, including bites and the loss of two teeth. The emotional distress from this event has been overwhelming for both of us, and we are now focused on helping her heal physically and emotionally,” Perez wrote on the page.
Police arrested Vyas, who faces charges of aggravated assault and assault with bodily injury, KSAT reported.
We have to believe some kind of mental health crisis is happening here. No one in a healthy state of mind attacks a woman and child like this. Vyas clearly needs help.
