According to the safety organization and authorities, Melissa Ugur, a 20-year-old, was seen tearing the fliers with a knife on Avenue N and East 23rd Street in Midwood around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. When a Shmira Public Safety volunteer approached her, she reportedly became enraged.
According to the police, Ugur reportedly sprayed pepper spray directly in the victim’s face, who is 48 years old. According to Levi Leifer, the director of Shmira Public Safety, the police apprehended her after fellow volunteers followed her.
As she was being taken away in the back of a police car, video footage obtained by The Post shows Ugur dressed completely in black and ranting incoherently, claiming that “they’re kidnapping” and that she had used pepper spray in self-defense.
Ugur, who resides in Brooklyn, is facing charges of assault, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon. On Sunday, the charges were presented against her in Brooklyn Criminal Court, and she was arraigned. She was released without bail, and her next court date is scheduled for January 18th.
With tensions already high over the ongoing war in Gaza, the recent incident adds to the growing concerns surrounding the appearance of kidnapped posters across New York City. An Upper East Side community witnessed a scuffle caught on video when a 21-year-old man attempted to tear down Israeli hostage posters. The man was subsequently arrested.
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