BOSTON — Audrey Poehler has always felt secure around Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“I’ve been going there since I was 12 years old with my Mom so it was what I considered to be a safe area,” she said.
Audrey’s Mom has had cancer twice. And last Monday -- concerned her Mom might need to have a biopsy done -- Audrey drove up with her from their Connecticut home.
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“Because of COVID-19 no visitors are allowed inside, so I was walking around while she was in her appointment,” Audrey said. It was 10 o’clock in the morning. “I was walking on the sidewalk and a person who was walking at me grabbed me by my neck and punched me in the head.”
The attack -- unprovoked and wordless -- left the college sophomore, initially, in shock.
“He let go of me after that and I took a step back. And then he looked back at me so I wasn’t sure if he was going to come back at me again,” she said. “So I ran a couple of feet back. And then he casually kept on walking. And luckily there were some bystanders nearby that ran after him.”
They did not catch him. Boston Police said the suspect ran down Jimmy Fund Way then hung a right on Brookline Avenue. Somebody did catch an image of him, however. And police circulated the photo, hoping the public can pin a name on a person they have only described as a black man in an all-black jumpsuit.
Audrey wound up getting treated at a local hospital for a mild concussion.
“My jaw was swollen after and it was hard to eat for a couple of days following,” she said.
Those physical injuries have mostly healed. But the attack left lingering psychological damage. Audrey had long-term plans to attend graduate school in Boston, once she completes her studies in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security at Connecticut’s Post University.
“But now I’m not sure if I’d want to go to school in Boston,” she said. “I just don’t view it as a safe area anymore.”
Although she does think she’ll feel a whole lot better once a suspect is under arrest.
“I really am hoping for justice,” she said. “I just want him to be caught and held accountable for what he did to me. He could also be hurting other people while he’s still out there.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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