Mother of 7-year-old girl attacked with knife in Detroit speaks out: "Why her?"
(CBS DETROIT) - The family of a 7-year-old girl who was brutally attacked with a knife on Tuesday at a park in Detroit earlier this week is speaking out.
A white bandage covers the small neck of Saida Mashrah as her mother sits close by. Both are still in shock about what happened.
"I only get two hours of sleep. It's like he's coming back to get them, get my other children. I feel so scared," said Amirah Sharhan.
Nightmares keep Saida awake at night. She says dreams her attacker is in bed next to her.
She says she was at Ryan Park just playing with her friends when a stranger, a man she'd never seen before, came up to her and slashed her in the throat with a pocket knife.
"The guy was coming up to me with his hands behind his back, and he just pulled my head up, and he slid the knife on my throat," Saida said.
Saida says she kicked him, ran home, and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
"They said that she's lucky, she's very lucky. It was really deep, the cut," Sharhan said.
The alleged attacker, 73-year-old Gary Lansky, is charged with assault with intent to murder and felonious assault.
The Michigan chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) believes the case should be investigated as a hate crime.
"While the charges faced by Gary Lansky are serious, we urge the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor's office to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter to determine whether hate was a motivating factor in the attack," CAIR-MI executive director Dwauld Walid said in a statement.
Saida's mother believes it is possible this was a hate crime.
"He came up to her out of all the kids, like why her? It's unbelievable. I don't know how to explain it really," Sharhan said.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office says it currently has no evidence of a hate crime in the Lansky case.
In the meantime, Saida will soon begin therapy, and the 20 stitches on her neck will be removed in a week.
A red bracelet with the word "Love" on it is now always on her wrist. The whole family is holding this message close to their hearts as they wait for justice.
Lansky's bond has been set at $2 million. His next court hearing is Oct. 16.