Anna Lushchinskaya, the woman who was caught on camera violently attacking another passenger inside a New York City subway train, is now saying she’s not at fault and was merely defending herself.
Lushchinskaya, a 40-year-old lawyer, was filmed cursing, slapping and then swinging her umbrella at an Asian woman during rush hour at 7:45 a.m. back in December.
Footage of the incident has gone viral, generating over 14 million views since it was first uploaded online last month.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Lushchinskaya claimed that she was attacked first.
“The video didn’t start in the beginning,” she said.
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The start of the clip showed the Lushchinskaya cursing at her victim then smacking her on the hand. She then removes her glasses and gloves, tucks them into her bag apparently preparing for an attack.
She then proceeded to kick the passenger and use her small umbrella to hit her multiple times.
As the other passengers tried to intervene, one person can be heard in the background saying, “She’s not even fighting you back!”
Lushchinskaya, however, was adamant that she was not at fault.
“What is the reason I need to step out of the subway if I’m being attacked? What’s the reason I need to do that?” she said.
Asked if she was out of control, Lushchinskaya replied, “How am I crazy? I was defending myself to the best of my ability.”
The footage also showed Lushchinskaya spitting at the woman and using a racial slur. She was also heard calling a Dominican passenger “Mohammed Atta,” in reference to one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks.
The Dominican passenger, named Juan Ayala, also captured the incident on his smartphone.
When Lushchinskaya was told that she had offended other people with the remarks, she replied, “That is too bad. It’s their opinion.”
According to Ayala, no one ever attacked Lushchinskaya, who knocked his phone out of his hand. In the end, Ayala made a citizen’s arrest and held on to her until the police arrived.
“If she thinks she is innocent is all of this, obviously the whole world was filming, so everybody saw what went down. I am just glad I was there to capture that moment,” Ayala told Inside Edition.
Lushchinskaya, who was charged with attempted assault, harassment and menacing that day, had been previously arrested for allegedly assaulting a different subway passenger with a pepper spray.
Featured Image via YouTube / Inside Edition
