Pauley Perrette Is 'Grateful to Be Alive' After Violent Attack by 'Psychotic Homeless Man'

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."

"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."