A Haitian immigrant whose brush with a 10-year-old led to the woman's brutal beating — allegedly at the feet of the child's and the hands of three others — has spoken out about her harrowing ordeal at a Boston Target department store.
The woman, who has lived in Boston for four years, spoke to the Boston Globe Tuesday under the condition her name be withheld as she still feared for her safety.
"They all jumped on me," the woman said of the Sunday attack. "When I was on the floor, I was getting kicked by all of the girls."
Click here to read the Boston Globe story.
Four girls allegedly jumped the woman after she refused to apologize for bumping into the 10-year-old, police spokesman Eddy Chrispin told WBZ-TV in Boston.
Click here to read WBZ-TV's story.
The suspects punched and kicked the woman, pulled her hair out and yanked her pants off, the Globe reported. The woman told the newspaper she sustained a broken finger in the attack.
The child was arraigned Monday in Boston Juvenile Court on a charge of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, because she kicked the woman. The three other girls — aged 14, 16 and 20 — were charged with assault and battery, the newspaper reported.
"At this point in the investigation, the evidence suggests the others did not use their feet in the attack," Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, told the Globe.
But the father of the 10-year-old disagrees that his daughter is to blame.
"How can a 10-year-old kid jump on a 20-something woman and beat her up?" said Robert Lee of Dorchester. "They [police] locked her up, put her in handcuffs. . . . That isn't right."
Witnesses to the Target beating gave conflicting reports about how the attack went down.
"I don't believe the 10-year-old did any of the fighting," witness Mary Fielding told the paper. "There were three or four older girls there. . . . Those were the women who did the fighting, but they vanished when security came on the scene."
But construction worker Manuel Sanchez said the gang — including the child — ripped off the woman's clothing, leaving her in nothing but her underwear.
"They all joined — kicking, beating, the whole nine on that lady," he said.
Target released a statement after the attack.
"Target’s first priority is always the safety of our guests and team members," the statement read. "We take this situation very seriously and are committed to providing a safe, secure environment. We will continue to closely partner with the Boston Police Department and hope for a swift and just resolution to this situation."
The 10-year-old is expected back in court on March 5.
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