This week on Wednesday, during lunchtime, 30-year-old Chinese-American office worker Runing Lao encountered a misfortune while leaving the office for a meal. Lao was attacked by an undocumented female immigrant on the way and in an act of self-defense, the assailant snatched Lao’s umbrella and cut her face with it. Following the incident, Lao shared her ordeal on social media.
According to the account acquired by the newspaper, around 12:58 pm on the 17th, Lao left the office in Long Island and headed to the American-Mexican chain fast-food restaurant “Chipotle” located at 26-16 Jackson Ave. During her journey, a woman inexplicably attacked her.
“When I tried to defend myself, she broke my umbrella in half and used it to hit my face, causing me to bleed all over,” Lao wrote in a statement provided to the newspaper, “I shouted for help.”
Lao mentioned that the restaurant is situated on one of the busiest roads in Long Island with many construction workers around, just three steps away from both her and the attacker, yet initially, no one came to her aid.
Eventually, as Lao attempted to leave the scene, an off-duty police officer helped restrain the woman who attacked her and called “911” for assistance. Lao noted that the police response was prompt, staying on-site for about 3 to 5 minutes.
After reporting the incident, Lao learned that the woman who attacked her had a history of crimes and was an undocumented immigrant who had assaulted people in Texas, Chicago, and New York City.
The undocumented woman was supposed to appear in court two weeks prior but fled the scene, with her previous victim even being a minor.
“Sadly, according to the immigration policy in New York City, she was placed in a free hotel in Long Island,” Lao said.
Despite being injured with a large piece of white gauze on her face after the senseless attack, Lao chose to publicly share her harrowing experience on social media.
At the beginning of the video, Lao directly asked, “Friends, can anyone explain what is happening in New York City?”
In an interview with “Da Ji Yuan Times” on the 18th, Lao mentioned that although the authorities did not treat it as a hate crime but a random one, the undocumented female immigrant also attacked a police officer who came to assist Lao when off-duty.
Recalling the moment of the attack, Lao expressed disappointment and anger to “Da Ji Yuan,” stating, “I was just on my lunch break, a 5-minute walk from the office when she (the undocumented immigrant) inexplicably assaulted me. She has committed crimes in Texas, Chicago, Manhattan but has not faced trial; instead, she roams the streets, enjoying free accommodation.”
Lao continued, saying, “When I cried for help, the people around me, including the strong construction workers and Asians… nobody initially stopped to help me.”
Regarding how the government can improve such situations, Lao suggested, “Punish the wrongdoers; anyone committing serious offenses should be put behind bars, not released the next day.”