A seven-year-old girl is recovering in the aftermath of a seemingly random knife attack which saw a man slit her throat.
Saida Mashrash was playing in Ryan Park in Detroit on October 8, when she was approached by a man now identified as 73-year-old Gary Lansky.
The girl told local news she greeted the stranger by saying “hi”, but the man suddenly grabbed her and swiped a pocket knife across her throat.
The suspect was detained by Wayne County authorities and has since been charged with assault with intent to murder and felonious assault.
Saida, who was accompanied by a family member at the park, reported she was playing on the park’s playground when the man moved towards her.
She told WXYZ Detroit: “I saw a man and I said, like, hi to him and he was coming towards me.
“[In] one hand was nothing and he just put my head up and the other thing was a pocket knife”.
After the pensioner slit her throat, Saida said she bravely “kicked his legs” and ran away, screaming for help.
Her actions were commended by Detroit Police Commander Vernal Newson who said: “She did what she should have done.”
Nearby residents who rushed to the scene reported Saida feared for her life and told those around her “I’m going to die and nobody is going to be here with me”.
A report issued by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Detroit police officers had responded to a reported stabbing around 15:45 local time, upon arrival a victim was located with “a laceration to her throat”.
A statement from the Prosecutor’s Office read: “It is alleged that at a park in the 5800 block of Greenview Avenue in Detroit, Defendant Lansky approached the victim and cut her throat with a knife before fleeing the scene.”
An initial hearing was held on October 10th and Lansky’s bond was set at $2 million. A preliminary probable cause conference is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Investigators have indicated they do not believe the attack was a hate crime and have suggested Mr Lansky was suffering some form of mental health crisis at the time of the incident.
Saida was transferred to a local hospital where she required stitches to close the knife wound. The 7-year-old has since been released and is recovering from her injuries at home.