A brave seven-year-old girl has spoken out about the moment a man slit her throat while she was playing in a Detroit park.
In an interview with WXYZSaida Mashrah recounted the incident on Tuesday in which a 73-year-old man allegedly attacked her in Ryan Park.
Saida said she was surfing on a “spinning green thing” when she saw her attacker. She said she greeted him with a simple “hello,” as he continued in her direction.
‘A hand was nothing. And he just lifted my head. The other thing was a pocket knife. And then he just slid the knife into my throat,” said Saida, who gave her attacker a “medium” kick to escape.
The young woman screamed for help and ran, blood pouring from her neck.
Neighbors who heard her scream ran to her aid.
Brave seven-year-old girl spoke out about the moment a man slit her throat while playing in Detroit Park
Gary Lansky, 73, has been accused of slitting Saida’s throat.
“I immediately… took some gauze pads and put them on her… to help her and help her stop the bleeding,” Donna Mockbil said. “She says, ‘Oh, I’m going to die and no one is going to be here with me,’ and I started having tears in my eyes.”
Mockbil’s son chased the suspect until police were able to take him into custody.
Saida was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
The suspect was identified as Gary Lansky, charged with attempted murder and assault.
While the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said there is no evidence that what Lansky allegedly did was a hate crime, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) believes the case should be investigated as such.
Police say they believe Lansky’s alleged attack was a reflection of a mental health crisis he was experiencing, his family told officers.
As for Saida, she is scheduled for therapy and will reportedly have the stitches removed from her neck in a week.
“I only sleep two hours. It’s like I’m coming back to look for them, to look for my other children. I feel very scared,” said their mother, Amirah Sharhan. CBSDetroit.
‘They said he’s lucky, he’s very lucky. The cut was very deep.
The attack occurred at Ryan Park in Detroit while Saida was playing
A red bracelet with the word “Love” now adorns the young survivor’s wrist.
Lanky’s bail is currently set at $2 million.
He is due in court on October 16.
