Chilling security footage shows a sushi chef being randomly stabbed by a homeless woman while the chef was walking down the street to work.
Wan Lai, 26, was walking down the sidewalk in a busy area of Melbourne, Australia, when a redheaded stranger ran up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder and plunged a knife into her chest.
Lai, clearly stunned, clutches the wound and slowly sits on the ground as a good Samaritan runs over to help and offers Lai her coat, according to the clip.
She was rushed to the hospital, where she spent three days recovering from a punctured lung, the Sun reported.
The assailant, identified as 32-year-old Lauren Dural, was arrested soon after the Oct. 2 morning attack and charged with intentionally causing injury and committing a crime while out on bail, according to News.com.au. Police also recovered the weapon.
Lai’s family says she’s now terrified to go outside and has even moved out of the neighborhood.
“She doesn’t dare to go out anymore, she’s always on guard,” her sister Ivana told Australian outlet 7News.
“She can’t stand people walking behind her and keeps looking around nervously.”
Lai’s sister added that she was “lucky” the blade didn’t puncture her heart.
Dural had been living at a nearby public homeless shelter, according to 9News.
She was on police bail for attempted theft at the time of the alleged attack.
Dural has applied to be released on bail and will appear for a hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The day after the attack, Lai posted in Mandarin thanking the “quick actions” of the bystander who rushed over to help that gave her “precious time” to live, according to 9News.
“This experience gave me a deep appreciation of the impermanence of life,” read a translation of her post.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the “sickening” attack this week.
“No one who commits such a brazen, violent act on our streets should be on our streets,” she said.
