An assault inside an iconic New York City department store, just days before the start of the holiday shopping season, has a family on edge.
Mustafa Sevindik, 71, has lived in the city for more than two decades and is a cancer survivor, but he says what happened Wednesday afternoon has shaken him.
Woman arrested for assault inside Macy’s Herald Square, police say
Sevindik, his wife and his son were shopping for furniture on the ninth floor of Macy’s Herald Square when police say a woman, unprovoked, approached Sevindik from behind and struck him four times in the head with an object, believed to be a cell phone, then ran down an escalator.
His family witnessed the assault.
“It was very scary to see my dad get hit. First reaction was to make sure he was OK,” son Emre Sevindik said.
Mustafa Sevindik was taken to a local hospital and treated for deep internal bruising.
Police arrested Donna Francis, 65, on Thursday. She’s been charged with assault.
Macy’s responded to the incident with a statement saying, “At Macy’s the safety of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority and all incidents that put that at risk are taken seriously. Per our policy, we are unable to provide any additional information and defer any questions to the local authorities.”
“I’m scared … for my family, for everyone”
Mustafa Sevindik is now recovering at home. Though he’s still in pain, he knows it could have been worse.
“Thank God no knife, no gun. I say thank God,” he said.
He and his family say they are trying not to let this attack dampen their holiday spirit, but still, they are taking a harder look at the city they love.
“Now, I’m scared. For what? For my family, for everyone,” Mustafa Sevindik said.
“I’m nervous. Now, I don’t want to go out,” wife Hulya Sevindik said.
“I can be as hopeful as I can. I don’t know if I’m optimistic,” Emre Sevindik said.
The Midtown South Precinct has seen a slight uptick in felony assaults over the last year, and misdemeanor assaults in the area are up more than 8%.
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