Pocket knife attack in Detroit, Michigan: 7-year-old girl fights back against Gary Lanksy, a man accused of attacking her in Ryan Park

DETROIT – A 7-year-old girl is recovering after a man attacked her with a knife in a Detroit park earlier this week.

Detroit police said the incident occurred around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday in Ryan Park near Greenview and Kirkwood avenues.

Saida M. spoke to 7 News Detroit about the attack with her mother’s permission.

Saida, who was in the park with a family member, was playing when a man came up to her and randomly attacked her.

“I was playing on a spinning thing that was green… and I was playing… and then I saw, like, a man and said hello to him. And he…came towards me.”, and he came towards me like that and he just lifted my head. And then he just shoved the knife to my throat. “I kicked his legs medium hard.”

Police said that’s when Saida screamed for help and ran.

“She did what she should have done,” the Detroit police commander said. Vernal Newson.

Neighbors heard the screams and ran to help however they could.

“I immediately grabbed some gauze and put them on her to help her and help her stop the bleeding,” Donna Mockbil said. “She says, ‘Oh, I’m going to die and no one will be here with me,’ and I got tears in my eyes.”

Donna’s son also jumped to help and followed the suspect until he was arrested.

The suspect is 73 years old and was arrested without incident, according to Detroit police. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has since charged Gary Lanksy with assault with intent to murder and aggravated assault in the case.

Police do not believe this was a hate crime. They believe the suspect was in a mental health crisis at the time of the attack.

“In my 40 years as a police officer, mental health has become one of the top issues in our community,” Newson said.

Saida was stitched up in the hospital and released. She is now recovering at home.