BOULDER, Colo. Walking the Pearl Street Mall was part of Katie Higney's routine when heading into work. However, on June 25, she was attacked and stabbed by a man who said voices told him 'to go kill people.'Denver7 sat down wi th Higney, who hopes that by sharing her story, she will inspire others to be aware of their surroundings and avoid technology-related distractions. She described the moments leading up to the attack and how she fought back by screaming and calling 911."I probably had a half a block before I was at my store, and I saw a man cut across the planter box and start coming towards me, and as soon as he got close, he grabbed me. That's when the attack happened, and I just started screaming," Higney said.She said at one point in the struggle her hand was cut, which required five stitches and still is numb. The scar is a reminder of what she went through and why she wants to speak out and not be a silent victim. "If I had my headphones in, if I was looking down at my phone, I would not have seen him approach me, and it could have been a lot worse. As he said, he was there to kill people, and so the fact that I was not on my phone is one thing that I've always harped on people about, like, yeah, get your face out of your phone," Higney said.The alleged attacker is Marcus Ariel Valles from Lakewood who faces three felony counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of felony menacing and one count of first-degree assault, also a felony. The department said additional charges are likely. Watch Maggy Wolanske's report in the video below: Boulder Pear Street Mall stabbing victim speaks outDenver7 also looked into his criminal history, and court records show he has faced over 20 criminal charges that span over a decade, including menacing and assault.Keeping Pearl Street Mall safe is top of mind for Commander Michael Heath with the Boulder Police Department. Over the past year, he has started leading walks along the mall to engage with community members and business owners about their work and how they can improve. "We've also included some overtime positions throughout the summer. We'll assess those at the end of the summer to see if we determine we have that need then. So while we didn't do anything specific because of that incident, we are constantly making changes to better police down here," Heath said.When it comes to safety in popular areas like the Pearl Street Mall, Heath emphasized trusting your gut and paying attention to your surroundings. He hopes these walks will help people in the community realize the protection in place and how they can best serve the area. "The more opportunities that we have to engage positively with our community, the better. More opportunities that we have to be able to hear the concerns, along with what we're doing well from the community, just helps us shape how we police in the city," Heath said.Right now, Higney's hand is still numb, and she continues to process the trauma of what happened. A friend created an online fundraiser to support her as she navigates this aftermath."You never know when it's going to happen," said Higney. "Going to therapy to help process and regulate my nervous system so my anxiety isn't so high so I can get back to work. Because I love my job and I love my team, and I want to get back there and do the things." ...read more read less