A brave seven-year-old girl, Saida Mashrash, was the victim of a horrifying attack in Detroit’s Ryan Park on a Tuesday afternoon. The young girl was playing in the park when she was approached by a man, who she greeted with a friendly ‘hi’. Unfazed by her innocence, the man, identified as 73-year-old Gary Lansky, allegedly grabbed her head and slashed her throat with a pocket knife.
Saida recounted the terrifying ordeal in an interview, explaining how Lansky lifted her head and slid the knife across her throat. Despite the shocking attack, the young girl managed to kick her assailant and run away before he could inflict further harm. She fled the playground, leaving a trail of blood behind her, with her grandmother following closely.
The screams of the young girl alerted her neighbors, who immediately sprang into action. Donna Mockbil and her son, who live next door to Saida, rushed to her aid. Mockbil shared the heartbreaking moment when Saida expressed her fear of dying alone, a statement that brought tears to her eyes.
Emergency services transported Saida to a local hospital, where she received twenty stitches to close the deep cut on her throat. Her mother, Amira Sharhan, expressed her relief and gratitude, acknowledging her daughter’s luck in surviving such a brutal attack. Sharhan also voiced her confusion and disbelief over why her daughter was singled out among all the children in the park.
The alleged attacker, Gary Lansky, was apprehended and is facing charges of assault with intent to murder and felonious assault. His family informed investigators that they believe he was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has stated that there is no evidence to suggest that the attack was a hate crime. However, the Michigan chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations is advocating for the incident to be investigated as such. Lansky is currently being held on a $2 million bail and is scheduled for arraignment on October 16th.