A 7-year-old girl and her family are living in fear after police said a 73-year-old man slashed her throat in a Detroit park last week, they said Monday.
“Now I feel scared and I don’t want to go to school anymore (or go) outside alone,” Saida Mashrah said. “I just like staying in my backyard.”
With her neck still bandaged, Saida shared her story during a news conference Monday at the Arab American Civil Rights League’s office in Dearborn, Michigan, where officials called on state and federal authorities to prosecute the October 8 incident as a hate crime.
“This was not a random act of violence, this was a tragic, vicious attack,” said Mariam Charara, executive director of the Arab American Civil Rights League. “(Saida) and her family were visibly different in that park. We know that if the tables were turned and it were an Arab American man that committed this act, there would be no hesitation in how this case would be prosecuted.”
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ACRL officials said Saida and her grandmother were the only Arab people in the park during the attack.
Gary Lansky, 73, allegedly approached Saida, grabbed her by her head, tilted it back, and slashed her throat. He then attempted to stab the girl in the stomach, officials said, but she kicked him and escaped.
Saida received 20 stitches for her wound. The mental and emotional toll has done far more damage, the family said.
“Me and my children sleep in one bedroom now because that’s how scared we are,” said Mashrah’s mother, Amirah Sharhan. “A 7-year-old coming home … telling mommy, ‘Someone cut my throat.’ It’s heartbreaking.”
The suspect also reportedly came up to the girl's grandmother.
After the incident, the suspect then allegedly approached her grandmother, who the ACRL said was wearing a hijab, making her a target for a hate-based attack. The only other people at the park at that time were four Black children, who were not approached by Lansky, the ACRL said.
Lansky fled after Saida and the other children began to scream, officials said.
The ACRL contacted the offices of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel as well as the US Attorney General’s Office and the FBI on Monday to ask investigators to look into the suspect’s phone and social media records for any link proving animosity toward the Arab or Muslim communities. A representative from Nessel’s office said she had not yet reviewed the matter.
Online court records show Lansky faces charges of assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in 36th District Court in Detroit. If convicted on the former charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
At a hearing Thursday, Lansky's bond was set at $2 million.
As of Monday afternoon, he remained behind bars, ACRL officials said.
The family said media outlets had reported that Lansky was released from jail after posting bond, fueling their fears that he may return to their neighborhood.
“I don’t want to go outside alone,” Sharhan said. “I have to have my husband with me or I don’t want anyone to take me out.”
Saida said she hopes to one day become a lawyer, “so I can let (Lansky) stay in jail.”
–Max Reinhart, The Detroit News (TNS)
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