A prominent New York City influencer and author has publicly shared security footage of a violent encounter in which she was punched in the head by a stranger, knocking her to the ground. In a social media post accompanying the video, Kindra Hall, an online coach, detailed her subsequent difficulties in her attempts to have the assailant arrested.
The security footage, posted by Hall on Wednesday, captures the incident as it unfolded last week on an Upper East Side sidewalk. The video shows Hall walking in one direction when a man approaching from the opposite way suddenly strikes her in the head. The impact causes Hall to stumble backward and fall precariously close to the street.
Following the assault, Hall recorded her own video footage of the man as he walked away. In the video, the man can be seen turning back and taunting Hall, inviting her to “follow” him to his residence. Later footage shows the man being placed in handcuffs by the New York Police Department (NYPD) at the address he had indicated.
However, Hall expressed significant frustration with the NYPD’s response to the incident. She claimed that officers took over half an hour to arrive at the scene and appeared indifferent to her plight and the need to apprehend the assailant. “Even after showing the video with the guy shouting threats, [NYPD] acted like it wasn’t a big deal. I remember saying, ‘So since I’m not bleeding, a punch to the head is ok?!’” Hall wrote in her post.
Hall stated that it was only after she mentioned experiencing a headache from the attack that the officers agreed to go to the address the man had yelled. She also expressed her dismay that the police insisted she accompany them to the location, “despite having video footage clearly identifying him.”
“I can’t describe how terrifying that was. Maybe they were hoping I’d refuse and give up?” Hall wrote, suggesting a lack of urgency on the part of the responding officers. She also noted her own initiative in obtaining the security footage.
Reflecting on the incident, Hall stated, “I am so grateful it wasn’t worse. I’m grateful it was me and not someone who couldn’t take the hit or the fall. I’m hopeful the man gets the help and services he clearly needs. And I’m heartbroken and furious that this is how it is — so much apathy.”
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