OKC Motel Employee Attacked With Brick, Suspect On The Run

Frightening moments unfolded at a metro motel when a man attacked an employee with a brick. She survived, but she's badly beaten and her attacker is on the run.

That motel employee is thankful to be alive. News 9 spoke with her when she got home from the hospital on Tuesday.

She was working at the Cambridge Inn Sunday night, just like she has for 15 years, when that violent attack nearly took her life.

"I've never thought I was going to die while I was at work. I really thought I was going to be dead," Dala Kirkpatrick said.

It happened just before midnight. Dala Kirkpatrick was about to close, but a man came in asking for a room.

He filled out a registration card, but when she asked for his ID, he pulled out a brick and started beating her.

"I was on my left side on the floor, and I was kicking him and stuff, and I could see it in his hand," Kirkpatrick said.

He actually jumped over the counter and knocked her to the ground.

"All I remember is just screaming and fighting back and then somehow got the door open and started screaming for help because I had people down from the office I was hoping would hear me," Kirkpatrick said.

The attacker ran off, Kirkpatrick slammed the door shut and called 9-1-1. Since then, police have taken a look at the surveillance video.

"It does appear at some point he went through the cash drawer, went through the drawers, maybe trying to get something from the business, but ultimately he left with nothing," Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said.

Brutally beaten, Kirkpatrick is staying with her son now, but she says it'll be a long time before she ever feels safe again.

"He really needs to be found and pay for what he did. The next time he could really kill somebody," Kirkpatrick said.

Police tell us when the attacker filled out the registration card, he put in his real information.

They also have a good picture of what he looks like from the surveillance video, and we're told an arrest should happen soon.