Detroit, MI
Family of girl whose throat was slashed in Detroit park files $50M lawsuit
Saida Mashrah said her sleep is still filled with nightmares and she’s fearful when strangers walk past her house more than a year after police said a strange man slashed her throat while she played in a Detroit park.
“Sometimes (at school) I get scared and have to take a break with a teacher,” the soft-spoken 8-year-old said Wednesday.
Saida joined attorneys for her family during a press conference where they announced the recent filing of a $50 million civil suit against the suspect, 74-year-old Gary Lansky.
“We don’t know what types of assets … (Lansky) may have but I can assure you for every dollar that he has we want to take that away from him,” said Nabih Ayad, counsel for Saida’s family. “This person deserves to rot in hell and rot in jail.”
Authorities said that Saida and four other children were playing in Ryan Park, near the Dearborn border in east Detroit, on Oct. 8, 2024. Lansky, of Detroit, allegedly approached Saida, grabbed her head, tilted it back and slashed her throat. Saida kicked him and escaped.
While she has fully recovered from the physical injuries, Ayad said the young girl will likely always carry with her the trauma she endured that day.
“Forever she will be haunted by this, traumatized by this and is currently seeking therapy and probably will for the rest of her life,” he said.
Lansky has been charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. Ayad said Lansky is currently in the process of being evaluated for competency to stand trial. Online records show he remains behind bars at the Wayne County Jail, held on a $2 million bond.
An attorney for Lansky did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Following the alleged attack last year, advocates called on state and federal authorities to prosecute the case as a hate crime. Ayad believes Lansky, who is White, specifically targeted Saida based on her race. She was the only Arab American girl in the park that day, he said; all other children were Black.
After Saida ran away from her attacker, Lansky then approached the girl’s grandmother, who was in the park with her, Ayad said. The older woman was wearing a hijab, making her a target for a hate-based attack, advocates said. Lansky allegedly fled the scene after Saida and other children began to scream.
“My daughter still smiles sometimes but it’s not the same smile. It’s the kind of smile that hides tears,” Saida’s mother, Amirah Sharan, said in a statement read by attorney William Savage during Wednesday’s press conference. “… As a mother, it’s the worst pain imaginable to see your child hurt and know there’s nothing you can do about it.”
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
@max_detroitnews
A water main break in Detroit Saturday night has forced lane closures on a road on the city’s east side, according to city officials.
The incident on East Jefferson Avenue near Burns Avenue was reported around 9 p.m. Officials said a 42-inch water main in the area ruptured.
“Crews responded immediately early Sunday morning to shut off the main and to begin preparing for repairs,” Detroit officials said in a news release.
All residents in the area should have service “due to redundancy in the water system,” according to officials. Anyone who doesn’t is asked to call the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department at 313-267-8000.
As of Sunday afternoon, the city has not issued a boil water advisory and says there are no issues with street flooding.
Repairs are expected to begin on Monday and officials estimate they will be completed “around the middle of the week.”
One lane in each direction of East Jefferson Avenue will remain open at and around the area of the break until repairs are done, and bike lanes at the repair location will be closed.
Officials are asking motorists who drive through the area to budget additional time for their commute or seek an alternate route until all lanes reopen.
Dajanae Frazier, 14 (Photo: Detroit Police Department)
DETROIT, Mich. (FOX 2) – Detroit Police say 14-year-old Dajanae Frazier has been missing since Tuesday, March 3.
What we know:
She was last seen leaving her residence to walk a dog in the 19400 block of Biltmore St. She was wearing a pink shirt, black pants and black boots.
Frazier has black hair with red braids and brown eyes. She is between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighs approximately 100 to 125 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Detroit Police Department’s 8th Precinct at 313-596-5840 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP.
The Source: Information from the Detroit Police Department was cited for this story.
Police in Detroit are asking for the public’s help after they say an individual stole a handgun and credit cards from a truck on the city’s west side last month.
According to investigators, the suspect, identified as a male of undisclosed age, broke into a GMC Sierra between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on the 1400 block of Holden Street on Feb. 15. He stole the gun and a black bag, which contained medications, eyeglasses and the credit cards, officials said.
Police said the male then left the scene in a white Chevrolet Tahoe.
Anyone who recognizes the male, the Chevrolet or has any information about the incident is asked to call the agency’s 3rd Precinct at 313-596-1340 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587, or submit a tip here.
This is a developing story.
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