This Portland “sisterhood” is standing up for itself.
The ‘sisterhood’ of strangers jumped a creepy 31-year-old man after he allegedly groped more than six women in popular Oregon city park, according to The Oregonianand the police were slow to respond.
Witnesses say the man, Ayman Elkholy of Beaverton, went on a perverse rampage in the 43-acre park.
It started when a 28-year-old woman, Zoee Shearer, stepped out of a car wearing a dainty bra top and tutu skirt for a photo shoot. Elkholy lunged at her, grabbing her chest and waist and wouldn’t let go.
When she finally broke away from the man, he chased her through the park making frightening statements.
“I need it. I need it. Every bone in my body, I need it,” the man said, according to Shearer.
Shearer’s companion, a female 43-year-old clothing designer, also tried to stop the man. According to police reports, he “controlled” her. A male photographer with the duo broke up the chase and Elkholy moved on with more victims.
This time he focused his wandering gaze on a 31 and 32 year old woman. They were aware of the man’s perverted actions and one of them hit him with a water bottle as he approached.
The attack was enough to repel him, but not enough to end his rampage.
He decided to chase a 74-year-old woman and her 45-year-old daughter without regard for their 50-pound German Shepherd mix dog.
Elkholy was said to have straddled the older woman, which surprised her.
“I’m thinking, ‘I’m 74, take me away!’” the woman told The Oregonian.
The 74-year-old kicked him, and her daughter joined in and pushed him. The dog barked and snarled at the man.
That’s when the “sisterhood” took revenge.
A group of affected women, including the 31-year-old and the 32-year-old, started hunting the man for whales.
“And then all these other women started running towards him. They were chasing him,” the older woman said. “We all just jumped at the guy.”
“We just started hitting, hitting, scratching, pulling his hair, pulling his clothes – everything,” she continued. The 74-year-old woman said she didn’t feel any danger at the time “because the sisterhood was there.”
Portland police arrived to arrest the man after the victims waited 31 minutes. Four different people called 911 at the scene, with the last call at 2:38 p.m. after police were still absent from the scene.
Police officers in the area say a “significant” staff shortage has been a problem for the force.
“Our officers (and dispatchers) work hard every day to respond as quickly as possible, but the reality is that our current staffing levels limit our ability to provide the level of service our community deserves,” a police spokesperson told The Oregonian.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the department doesn’t have the money to hire more officers. Two ballot measures voters will take in November could address this problem.
Elkholy also allegedly put one of the women in a chokehold during the rampage and injured her jaw, according to court documents reviewed by The Oregonian. He told police he was high on LSD.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of intimidation and one count of attempted strangulation and was sentenced to two years of probation and 80 hours of community service. He has also been ordered to undergo evaluations for any drug, psychological or sexual problems.
Shearer believes his sentence is inadequate and had hoped authorities would order him to undergo mandatory residential treatment.
The attack still baffles her.
“I just feel like when I go to a local park now, I have to constantly watch people,” Shearer said. “This guy looked like he was completely normal. He didn’t look like a threat at all, and he was a huge threat.”
