A 73-year-old great-grandmother suffered severe bruises and had to have stitches in her face and hand after a man attacked her at a car wash in Athens.

She was vacuuming her 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe when the incident happened last Wednesday, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Police said she was approached by a man between the ages of 25 and 35. He pulled a gun and demanded her car and possessions.

“He hit me on the head again,” she said, “that's where I got my stitches.”

He grabbed her purse, pushed her from the car and drove away.

“When she inquired what he was doing,” Athens police spokesman Geoffrey Gilland said, “he pointed a pistol at her and hit her with it, struck her with the pistol."

He also had a warning.

“He had a gun,” she said, “it was wrapped in his shirt and he showed it to me and he said, ‘You don't want to die today, and I said no I don’t,' and he took off."

But the victim also saw another side.

“I guess I'm thankful to be alive, cause he could have shot me.”

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An aerial image shows the Atlanta skyline on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

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