An Asian woman’s recount of a terrifying random attack by a drug addict outside a Long Island City restaurant has gained widespread attention, leaving her shaken and fearful after the harrowing incident.
Chinese immigrant Runing Lao, 30, shared with The Post that she is scared to return to work following the unexpected assault as she left the Chipotle near the intersection of Purves Street and Jackson Avenue around 1 p.m. on July 17.
“I was maybe five or 10 steps away from Chipotle … and this woman just starts to beat me for no reason,” Lao, who works in real estate, recounted in an interview on Tuesday.
“So I was like, ‘What’s going on? What happened?’” she continued. “And then I instantly started yelling, ‘Help me!’ I felt really shocked.”
Her assailant—later identified by police as Adriana Garcia, 34, of Queens—grabbed Lao’s umbrella, broke it in half, and used it to attack her as she tried to defend herself.
“The umbrella is not super strong, but that kind of surprised me,” she said.
Fortunately, a good Samaritan eventually intervened.
“It was just a spur of the moment—I saw it and just reacted,” shared Jerome David, a 56-year-old emergency management worker, on Tuesday.
David recounted how Garcia appeared to intentionally bump into Lao before launching her assault on the unsuspecting woman.
“Before Lao even got the chance to say I’m sorry or anything, the woman up and punched her in the face,” David said.
“At first I thought it was a prank—like that ‘Punk’d’ show they do,” he said. “But when I saw [Garcia] break the umbrella and hit her in the face, with blood gushing down, I was like, ‘Wow, what the?’”
David managed to restrain Garcia, despite her attempts to strike back, until the police arrived.
He detailed how he subdued her and held her until law enforcement took over, ensuring that she couldn’t flee the scene.
The attack left Lao with bleeding cuts and scratches on her face. She was taken to the hospital by EMS workers for treatment and was later released, according to the NYPD.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office charged Garcia with two counts of assault, adding to her extensive criminal record, which includes a previous arrest on July 4 for slashing someone in the face with a razor blade during a dispute over crack cocaine, as per police sources.
Garcia has a history of eight prior arrests, according to sources.
She was arraigned on July 18 with bail set at $5,000 cash/bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for July 29, according to the DA’s office.
Meanwhile, Lao remains fearful in the aftermath of the attack, even as she bravely shares her story.
“I’m terrified to go back to my work anytime soon,” a bandaged Lao expressed in a now-viral Instagram video. “And why me? Why Asian women? Is it because I’m short, I’m skinny, I’m polite?”
Lao, who came to the United States a decade ago to pursue her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, has sought refuge with female friends since the assault, finding solace in their company.
However, she believes that something has changed in New York City since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have been in New York for almost 10 years, and at the beginning, there wasn’t so many homeless people or illegal immigrants,” she reflected. “But now, it’s so much more. And I honestly don’t think the system is doing a good job [regarding] how to arrange them, how to make them get educated and find a job.
“It just doesn’t feel safe for a normal citizen, especially a weaker, smaller size woman.”
David, the courageous bystander who came to Lao’s aid, shared his disappointment in the deteriorating state of Long Island City. He highlighted the increase in issues such as prostitution, robberies, and homelessness that he has witnessed over his five years in the neighborhood.
“They’ve put up several different shelters, which I have no problem with,” he noted. “But the problem I have is that half of them will be sleeping in the park or on the benches out there.
“The neighborhood is going downhill. It’s getting out of hand,” he expressed. “I hope Gov. Hochul, Mayor Adams, the police do something.
“You just want to survive in New York City, not get hurt.”
Can you please rewrite this sentence?
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