LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Hoda Shalash, a University of Kentucky social work principal, said a man spat on her face, threatened to kill her and followed her near UK's campus on Aug. 11 after she left work at UK's Children's Hospital.
"All of a sudden I felt spit splattered across my face, and then um what followed was words stating that's how I feel about people like you," Shalash said.
Shalash said the man then made what she describes as a threat.
"Saying I'll kill you and other rhetoric that was honestly drowned out by how shocked I was at what was happening," Shalash said.
She said she tried to walk away from the man but soon realized he was following her. A nearby construction worker stepped in to help. "He put himself kind of in a place of danger to support me and so that in itself was so uh meaningful to me," Shalash said.
Shalash reported the incident to UK Police Department and Lexington Police. Lexington Police did not respond to a request for comment. Through a voicemail to Shalash, UKPD said they are actively working on the case.
"Just to let you know, we did confirm and figure out whose identity of this guy," UKPD Officer Wright said on the voicemail.
In video of the incident, the man is wearing a UK Move-In Team shirt. UKPD told Shalash he is not a university employee, something that concerned her as students returned to campus.
Shalash shared her story on Facebook, where other women reached out with similar experiences.
"To hear about all of the other Muslim women that have been targeted across the country, you know, even here locally, and that that was one of the reasons why I, um, chose to share the story," Shalash said.
Despite the incident, Shalash says the Lexington community has shown her support.
"I've been offered so much support, escorts to my car and things like that," Shalash said.
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton told LEX News the university is investigating.
Shalash is also looking for the construction worker who intervened to thank him personally. If you have any details or want to share your story, you can reach out to carlee.hogsten@wlex.tv.
