This Portland “sisterhood” stands up for its own.
The “sisterhood” of strangers jumped a creepy 31-year-old man after he allegedly groped more than half a dozen women in the popular Oregon city park, according to The Oregonian, and police were slow to respond.
Witnesses say the man, Ayman Elkholy of Beaverton, went on a perverted rampage in the 43-acre park.
It began when a 28-year-old woman, Zoee Shearer, stepped out of a car wearing an ornate bra top and a tutu skirt for a photo shoot. Elkholy darted towards her, grabbed hold of her breast and waist, and wouldn’t let go.
When she finally broke free of the man, he chased her around the park and made haunting 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. He “body-checked” her, according to police reports. A male photographer with the duo broke up the chase and Elkholy moved on to more victims.
This time, he turned his wandering eyes to a 31 and 32-year-old woman. They were aware of the man’s perverted actions, and one of them struck him with a water bottle when he came near.
The strike was enough to fend him off, but not enough for him to end his rampage.
He decided to pursue a 74-year-old woman and her 45-year-old daughter, disregarding their 55-pound German Shepherd mix dog.
Elkholy allegedly straddled the elderly woman, astonishing her.
“I’m thinking, ‘I’m 74, get the frick off me!’” the woman told The Oregonian.
The 74-year-old kicked him, and her daughter joined in, shoving him. The dog barked and snarled at the man.
That’s when the “sisterhood” got their revenge.
A group of affected women, including the 31-year-old and 32-year-old, began whaling on the man.
“And then all these other women started running over. They were whaling on him,” the elderly woman said. “We all just pounced on the guy.”
“We just started hitting, punching, scratching, pulling his hair, pulling on his clothes — everything,” she continued. The 74-year-old woman said she didn’t feel any danger at that point “because the sisterhood was there.”
Portland police arrived to arrest the man after 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.
Cops in the area say “significant” staffing shortages have been a problem for the police department.
“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 meet 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 funds to hire more officers. Two ballot measures voters are set to measure this November could address the issue.
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 harassment and one count of attempted strangulation and has been sentenced to two years of probation and 80 hours of community service. He’s also been ordered to undergo evaluations for any drug, psychological, or sexual issues.
Shearer believes his punishment is inadequate, and had hoped authorities would order him ot undergo mandatory inpatient treatment.
The attack still stuns her.
“I just feel like now when I go to a local park, I have to constantly be watching people,” Shearer said. “This man looked like he was completely normal. He looked like no threat at all, and he was a huge threat.”
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