A woman has life-threatening injuries after a man hit her in the head with a metal pole in downtown St. Paul, police said.

Officers responded to a report of an assault outside the Higher Ground shelter on Dorothy Day Place about 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Witnesses said a man struck the woman with the pole before walking away, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman.

The 25-year-old woman, who has a head injury, was initially conscious and was brought to United Hospital, but she lost consciousness and was transported to Regions Hospital where she’s now in critical condition, Ernster said.

Downtown officers arrested a 43-year-old man at Kellogg Boulevard and Washington Street, and he’s being held in the Ramsey County jail on suspicion of felony assault.

Police said they’re investigating what led to the assault and whether the two were known to each. It’s believed that both received services from Higher Ground, Ernster said.

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