The man accused of attacking a young girl with a knife in a Detroit park in October 2024 has pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the attack, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said. 

On Wednesday, Gary Lansky, 74, of Detroit, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to assault with intent and felonious assault. 

Police say Saida Mashrah, who was then 7 years old, was playing with other children in Ryan Park near Kirkwood Avenue and Greenview Avenue in Detroit on Oct. 8, 2024, when Lansky allegedly approached her and slashed her throat with a knife. Saida received 20 stitches as a result of the attack. 

"I used to go to the park every day with my grandma until he did this, and now I don't want to go back," said Saida during a recent press conference.  

Saida's family recently filed a $50 million lawsuit against Lansky, seeking damages for the trauma caused by the brutal attack. 

"This person pulls up in a van, walks right up, lifts her chin, and slices her throat with the knife, and then tries to stab her. And then, not only that, tries to go after her grandma, who's wearing a hijab, to try to stab her as well," said attorney Nabih Ayad, who is representing Saida's family. 

Lansky will be sentenced on Nov. 20. 

The above video first aired on Oct. 23, 2025.