A brave 7-year-old girl had her throat slashed by an elderly man and is now recounting the harrowing ordeal in an interview.
Saida Mashrash, 7, was playing in Detroit’s Ryan Park on Tuesday around 3:45 P.M., according to police. The innocent girl was unsuspecting when she saw a man approaching her.
“I was playing and then I saw a man,” Saida told WXYZ Detroit, “I said ‘hi’ to him.”
However, Gary Lansky, 73, did not hesitate and proceeded to grab the girl’s head and pull out a pocket knife, as per authorities.
“And he just put up my head and then he just slid the knife on my throat,” Saida recounted to the station on Thursday.
The courageous girl managed to give her attacker a “medium hard” kick and flee before further harm could be inflicted.
She ran from the playground towards home, leaving a trail of blood over a couple of blocks with her grandmother following behind. Concerned neighbors heard her screams and came to her aid.
Donna Mockbil and her son, who live next door to Saida, rushed to help the injured girl.
First responders transported Saida to a local hospital where she received twenty stitches on her throat, which will be removed in a week.
“They said she was lucky,” her mother Amira Sharhan told CBS Detroit, “She’s very lucky. It was really deep, the cut.”
“He came up to her out of all the kids, like why her,” Sharhan expressed, “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know how to explain it really.”
Gary Lansky has been arrested and is facing charges of assault with intent to murder and felonious assault. His family believes he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office stated that there is no evidence to suggest the incident was a hate crime, but the Michigan chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations is urging for further investigation in that regard.
Lansky is currently held on $2 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment on October 16th.
