Girl, 7, says ‘hello’ to previous man just for him to seize her head and slash her throat
A young girl had her throat slit by an elderly man while playing in a Detroit park, but managed to survive the horrific ideal.
In a terrifying attack on Tuesday (October 8), seven-year-old Saida Mashrash was happily playing in Detroit’s Ryan Park when suddenly she saw a man identified as 73-year-old Gary Lansky. The little girl greeted him, saying “Hi”, unaware of the threat he posed.
According to police reports, Lansky then brutally grabbed Saida by the head, took out a penknife, and sliced her neck with it. Recounting the vicious assault, brave Saida explained to WXYZ Detroit: “I was playing and then I saw like a man. I said ‘hi’ to him.”
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(Image: Fox2)
She continued with the horrific details: “And he just put up my head and then he just slid the knife on my throat.”
Saida’s quick thinking and fight response allowed her to kick the assailant, make an escape, and run dripping in blood to safety.
Hearing screams Donna Mockbil and her son, who live next door, rushed to assist the injured child. Reflecting on the chilling event, Mockbil shared with reporters that Saida feared for her life, saying: “She goes, ‘oh I’m going to die and nobody is going to be here with me’,” which moved Mockbil to tears.
(Image: Fox2)
Thankfully Saida’s injuries were not too severe and she was back outside playing just a few days later. “They said she was lucky,” her mother Amira Sharhan tells 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 continued, “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know how to explain it really.”
Suspect Gary Lansky was arrested by police and faces charges of assault with intent to murder and felonious assault.
Relatives have indicated to detectives that Lansky may have been experiencing a mental health emergency. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office notes that there’s no indication the incident was a hate crime, yet there are voices demanding it be probed as such. Lansky is expected in court on October 16.
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