Playing EXCLUSIVE: Pauley Perrette Was 'Crying All Night' After Attack: I Believed He Was Going to Kill Me 
 
 Actress Pauley Perrette was clearly shaken up when she spoke to ET's Kevin Frazier this morning about being attacked by a homeless man near her Hollywood home. 
 
 "I've been crying all night, clearly," she told Frazier. 
 
 Early Friday morning, Perrette revealed on Twitter that she was punched repeatedly and had her life threatened by a "psychotic homeless man." 
 
 NEWS: Pauley Perrette Is 'Grateful to Be Alive' After Violent Attack by 'Psychotic Homeless Man' 
 
 "He told me he was going to kill me several times and I absolutely believed him," she recalled to ET. "I prayed as hard as I've ever prayed for anything ever in my life, and I didn't do anything. I thought, anything I do would escalate the situation -- I couldn't overcome him, he was stronger than me." 
 
 Fortunately, she got away and drew a sketch of the man she believed had assaulted her. "I took a pen and I immediately, in shock, like drew a picture of the guy, 'cause I didn't have a camera," she explained. "The guy looks exactly like the thing that I drew." 
 
 LAPD confirmed with ET they booked a 45-year-old white male suspect named David Merck on felony battery charges after arresting him at a 7-Eleven in Hollywood. 
 
 EXCLUSIVE: First Look at Pauley Perrette's Sketch of Her Alleged Attacker That Led to an Arrest 
 
 Not even a day after her attack, the 46-year-old star, who has worked with the homeless in the past, was expressing compassion for those living without a roof over their head. "[My heart] breaks for every single person that's out there on the streets,"she said, "especially [those] with undiagnosed or untreated mental illness." 
 
 She also said that after being attacked, she sympathizes more with victims of crime. "I'm a criminal science major. I'm on a crime show, I'm a crime person, but what it actually feels like to be an innocent victim, a pedestrian walking down the street, and be snatched? ...I know what it feels like now and I was terrified," she explained. 
 
 WATCH: NCIS Star Pauley Perrette Honors Late Mom With New Cookbook 
 
 "I'm glad I lived," she said, adding of her alleged attacker, "I'm glad he didn't kill me, but whatever, he doesn't know who I am. He doesn't know. He's mentally ill and he has no support." 
 
 So, tonight was awful, life changing and I'm only grateful to be alive. It's here: pic.twitter.com/vXIT1pkVRc — Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) November 13, 2015 
 
 Despite her traumatizing experience, Perrette plans on still fighting the good fight. "My life is about helping the homeless and, you know, creating awareness for what's going on," she said. "But every now and then, there's somebody who really is a danger to society, and that guy attacked me." 

 Pauley Perrette tweeted that she "immediately drew a sketch of the guy" who allegedly violently attacked her outside her Hollywood, California home on Thursday -- and ET exclusively obtained the first look at her drawing. 
 
 The NCIS star recounted in a Twitter post early Friday morning that a "psychotic homeless man" came at her and started repeatedly punching her and threatening her life. 
 
 
 
 WATCH: NCIS Love Story Bears Uncanny Similarities to Michael Weatherly's Real Life 
 
 
 
 Once Perrette was able to get free, she texted a friend and a police officer from her church, who had her draw a sketch of her alleged attacker. She said the man was "headed towards Hollywood with murder in his eyes." 
 
 So, tonight was awful, life changing and I'm only grateful to be alive. It's here: pic.twitter.com/vXIT1pkVRc — Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) November 13, 2015 
 
 "My pal James took a pic of the sketch, found the guy [and] surveilled him," the 46-year-old actress wrote. "The cops came and followed James to him. They got him. Felony assault." 
 
 
 
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 Perrette's drawing, done in blue ink, is of a man with an unkempt beard and Western-style hat. He appears to be wearing a jacket in the sketch. 
 
 ETONLINE 
 
 In a photo of the man police arrested, 45-year-old David Merck, he has a scraggly beard and a hat. 
 
 The LAPD confirmed Perrette's story and told ET they were contacted at 5:14 p.m. on Thursday. The police booked Merck on felony battery charges after arresting him at a Hollywood 7-Eleven around 6 p.m. He is still in custody and bail is set at $100,000. 
 
 
 
 WATCH: NCIS Star Pauley Perrette Honors Late Mom With New Cookbook 
 
 
 
 "I am shaken and traumatized," she said in her Twitter message. "My house, my beloved Hollywood. My beloved homeless people that I spend my life protecting. ...My life changed tonight." 
 
 
 
 WATCH: Pauley Perrette's Music Video of 'Beautiful Child' 
 
 

 Actress Pauley Perrette revealed early Friday morning that she "almost died" after she was assaulted upon exiting her Hollywood home. 
 
 The 46-year-old NCIS star recounted the entire terrifying event to her 667,000 Twitter followers, but admitted that she was "hesitant about tweeting" the news. 
 
 
 
 EXCLUSIVE: First Look at Pauley Perrette's Sketch of Her Attacker That Led to an Arrest 
 
 
 
 "I was walking across my street to a new guest house I bought to meet my architect. On my street, I was jumped by a VERY psychotic homeless man," she recalled. "He grabbed me forcefully, pinned my arm, punched me in the nose, forehead, repeatedly telling me he was going to kill me. Then he showed me how he was going to kill me." 
 
 The actress said the man kept repeating a name, William, and in attempt to calm him down, she said, "William is a beautiful name. I have a nephew named William." 
 
 So, tonight was awful, life changing and I'm only grateful to be alive. It's here: pic.twitter.com/vXIT1pkVRc — Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) November 13, 2015 
 
 "That's all I said, all I did, other than praying my heart out," Perrette recounted. "He started to punch me again, and then said, 'Get the f**k out of here.'" 
 
 The CBS star said she immediately texted a friend and a police officer from her church, who had her draw a sketch of the man. She said he was arrested after police followed her friend to him. 
 
 
 
 WATCH: NCIS Star Pauley Perrette Honors Late Mom With New Cookbook 
 
 
 
 The LAPD confirmed Perrette's story and told ET they were contacted at 5:14 p.m. on Thursday. The police booked a 45-year-old white male suspect named David Merck on felony battery charges after arresting him at a Hollywood 7-Eleven around 6 p.m. He is still in custody and bail is set at $100,000. 
 
 "I am shaken and traumatized," she said in her Twitter message. "My house, my beloved Hollywood. My beloved homeless people that I spend my life protecting. ...My life changed tonight." 
 
 She then insisted that "we need full mental health care" and "housing and help for the homeless." 
 
 She concluded her tweet: "I almost died tonight." 

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– NCIS star Pauley Perrette says she's "grateful to be alive" after a terrifying attack in Hollywood Thursday night. She tweeted about the encounter early Friday, describing how, just after exiting her home, "I was jumped by a VERY psychotic homeless man. He grabbed me forcefully, pinned my arm, punched me in the nose, forehead, repeatedly telling me he was going to kill me. Then he showed me how he was going to kill me." She says he kept saying the name "William," and she tried to calm him down by saying, "William is a beautiful name. I have a nephew named William." Ultimately, he let her go and she contacted police. The LAPD confirms the incident to ETOnline and says a suspect, 45-year-old David Merck, was arrested on felony battery charges. "I almost died tonight," Perrette said in her Twitter message, which included a call for better care for the mentally ill and the homeless. She spoke to ETOnline, noting, "I'm a criminal science major. I'm on a crime show, I'm a crime person, but what it actually feels like to be an innocent victim, a pedestrian walking down the street, and be snatched? ... I know what it feels like now and I was terrified." But, she says, she has compassion for the suspect: "He doesn't know who I am. He doesn't know. He's mentally ill and he has no support. ... [My heart] breaks for every single person that's out there on the streets, especially [those] with undiagnosed or untreated mental illness." Click to watch the interview, or see the sketch Perrette made for police compared to a picture of the suspect.