Violent Attack 2 1/2 Years Ago

Location: Washington state

I’ve been carrying this for a long time and I don’t really know where else to put it.

In November 2023, I was assaulted by someone I knew for over 10 years. He’s much bigger than me. I’m about 5’10 and around 140 lbs, and at the time he was about 6’1 and around 220 lbs. He attacked me while he was drunk. The argument wasn’t even serious. I just wanted to go home early. That’s literally what set it off. What’s ironic is I went out with him to be there for him while he was dealing with his personal issues but after it got late and I noticed he was really drunk I wanted to go home.

After going back and forth verbally he charged me and then picked me up and slammed my head into concrete road and then started choking me. I had a huge bump on my head that lasted about a week or two. If it weren’t for another mutual friend who was there and pulled him off me, I honestly think he would’ve kept choking me out. That part still messes with my head.

I didn’t go to the hospital at the time because I was in shock, scared, and just wanted it to be over. But it was terrifying, and I know it could have killed me.

What makes it worse is that I later found out he had assaulted the mother of his child before. So this isn’t some one time mistake. He has a pattern of violence.

I didn’t report it back then. I was embarrassed, scared of making things worse, and just wanted to move on with my life. But it hasn’t really gone away. It sits in the back of my head, and lately it’s been getting louder.

He knows where I live. I live with my family. And sometimes I get scared he could just show up. I don’t have any reason to think he’s planning to right now, but after what he did, I don’t trust what he’s capable of.

Now I’m stuck trying to decide if I should report it, even though it happened over a year ago.

The things I keep going back and forth on are:

Is it too late to report something like this

Could reporting make things worse, like make him angry and come after me

What kind of protection can you actually get in a situation like this

Is it even worth reporting if I don’t have obvious long term medical damage

I’m not trying to get revenge. I just want to feel safe and make the smartest decision for my future, and for my family, since they live with me too.

If anyone has been through something like this, or has reported something late, or dealt with restraining orders or violent people, I’d really appreciate hearing what you learned.