Cincinnati viral beating victim says violent mob started attacking 'like a pack of wolves'

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2 days ago

The woman seen being violently slammed to the ground in now-viral footage of a brutal beatdown in downtown Cincinnati is speaking out after being forced into hiding following her near-death experience that was seen nationwide.
Holly, an Ohio native and single mother of three, was enjoying a night out celebrating a friend's birthday when she called an Uber to head home. As she was waiting for her ride, several fights broke out on the corner of Fourth and Elm Streets in the city's downtown area around 3 a.m. on July 26.
Footage obtained by Fox News Digital shows an unidentified man yelling racial slurs while being beaten in the street. Additional video of the scene shows the male victim slapping a member of the group seconds before the fight escalated.
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"And then that's when everyone, like a pack of wolves, just jumped in and started attacking," Holly said.
"I heard a man crying on the street, [and] he looked at me and held out his hand," Holly said. "And [he] literally said, 'Please, God, help me. Help me please, God.' You can't hear it in any of the videos because all you can hear is everybody on the street cheering each other on to curb-stomp these people, and to kick them and punch them and attack them while they were down."
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Bystander footage shows Holly running between two men as the fight broke out, in an attempt to stop the brutal beating.
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"I felt it was necessary to at least jump in, and try to help and save this man's life," Holly said. "It looked like they were about to kill him, to me. And that's why I couldn't stand there and do nothing."
"It was just ungodly. I cannot shake the images. It goes on a loop over and over. It keeps replaying. It was very traumatic."
In the chaos, Holly was viciously slammed to the ground.
"I remember being afraid, terrified," Holly told Fox News Digital. "I just remember my life flashing before my eyes, and all I can think is, 'Dear God, I hope my children know that I love them.'"
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Video of the incident shows the single mother laying unconscious on the asphalt as blood pours from her mouth, with another individual eventually coming over to help her up. She quickly retreated to her Uber and went home, where she "slept off her concussion."
"The next day when I woke up, my whole face was black and blue and swollen," Holly said. "I remember trying to take a drink and everything poured out because it was so swollen."
Holly recalled thinking she looked like a "horrible monster" upon seeing her face in the mirror, adding that the memory "haunts" her.
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On Thursday, Holly told The Ingraham Angle that police never took a statement from her after the widely circulated assault. Fox News Digital has made multiple attempts in the last week to contact the Cincinnati Police Department for comment on the incident.
"It definitely didn't seem like an incident. It seemed like a beat down. I look at it as attempted murder. I mean, there's no other way to describe it," Holly told Laura Ingraham Thursday.
"And I have yet to receive a phone call, from her or the mayor just apologizing for what happened and for letting these thugs and criminals run the streets when they should have been in jail to begin with."
Upon realizing the severity of her injuries, Holly drove herself to a local hospital where doctors diagnosed her with a severe concussion, along with neurological damage and injuries to her vision. The extent of her long-term physical injuries remain unknown as she continues to heal while visiting numerous medical specialists.
However, the psychological impacts will follow her for the rest of her life.
"I'm having someone help take care of me financially, mentally and physically," Holly said. "It's very humbling, it's very embarrassing to not be able to just be able to hang out by myself. I think that's the scary part, to not know just how deep the damage is going to be."
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Following her near-death experience, Holly has been forced into hiding as she recovers from her life-altering injuries. She has received online threats and was the target of thieves looking to scam an online fundraiser created on her behalf.
Despite the hurdles, Holly is trying to find a silver-lining in an attack that almost ended her life.
She is working alongside Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-OH, to introduce "Holly's Act," aimed at keeping violent criminals from being released onto the streets of Ohio.
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"We're going to talk to some of our state legislators to see if we can put something in place that I call — with her permission — 'Holly's Act,' which is how we raise the bar on minimum sentences, minimum bail requirements," Moreno said at a press conference Wednesday. "We're going to end the revolving door of injustice."
"Let's be honest, because a lot of times you guys are qualifying this as a brawl," Moreno added. "This was attempted murder of an innocent woman. And that person had a rap sheet a mile long. Nobody who has that rap sheet should be walking the streets of any Ohio city free."
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Additionally, Holly is hoping to implement a law that would penalize bystanders who do not call authorities in a life or death situation in an effort to hold the public accountable for not stepping in.
"I've seen so many times where people just get out their phones and they start recording," Holly told Fox News Digital. "I just think how many lives can be saved, or how many heinous crimes can be prevented by just having to call 911 first."
Moreno did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Cincinnati Police Chief Theresa Theetge previously revealed that of the approximately 100 bystanders present for the fight, only one person called authorities to ask for help.
"If somebody had called 911, then there's no way that I would have needed to jump in," Holly said.
"I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I watched somebody die in front of me and I could have helped save them," Holly told Fox News Digital. "So even though I'm enduring pain and possible issues [for the rest of my life], I still would do it again to protect someone and save their life."
The Cincinnati Clerk of Council Office declined Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Police have arrested six individuals in connection with the brutal beating. Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25 are facing various charges for their alleged roles in the attack that ultimately left six people injured.
"I think our nation has finally started coming together and stopped saying things as black or white, Democrat or Republican, American versus foreign. And I think that now they've gone, they're coming together to unify and start saying, 'You know what, let's stop talking about the past, and pointing fingers and projecting onto everyone else.' Let's start taking accountability and figure out how to move forward, and make sure this doesn't ever happen to someone's mother, daughter, loved one."
As Holly focuses on her road to recovery, she hopes the attack that left her battered and bruised will serve as a catalyst for change on a local, state and national level.
"Let's make sure no one else is the next Holly, if you will," Holly told Fox News Digital. "I hope it ends with me, because I hope we do start staffing the police properly. I hope people start doing the right thing as citizens and just be good people."
Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca, Max Bacall and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. Original article source: Cincinnati viral beating victim says violent mob started attacking 'like a pack of wolves'