Russian woman beaten in viral Cincinnati brawl returns home as attacker's family claims race is driving national outrage
The female victim – identified as Holly by an Ohio senator – was left with a gruesome black eye, busted lip, and bruises covering her face and neck after being knocked out during the horrifying melee that erupted in the city's downtown early Saturday morning, shocking footage and photos showed.
The viral footage showed what appeared to be Holly getting sucker-punched and knocked out cold, with blood pouring from her mouth as she lay defenseless on the ground after trying to intervene to help someone during the heinous rumble.
5 Holly was left with a huge black eye and busted lip during a horrifying, now-viral Cincinnati brawl.
@berniemorenoforohio
The Russian woman was hospitalized with severe injuries but returned to her home country after being released, a Cincinnati Police Department spokesperson told USA Today.
Police said Dekyra Vernon – one of the five brawlers arrested and charged – was a bystander watching the fight when she approached the unsuspecting victim and clobbered her to the ground.
5 Police said Holly, who was knocked out cold, has since returned home to Russia.
X
'She just interjected herself into a brawl on the street,' Cincinnati police Detective Barney Blank said of 24-year-old Vernon, the outlet reported.
The startling videos appeared to show a white man and woman – believed to be Holly – being relentlessly targeted by a group of largely black assailants during the early morning rampage.
5 Several people throwing punches during the chaotic scene.
X
The two victims were ruthlessly punched and stomped on as they cowered on the ground, with the woman eventually laid out, according to the viral footage.
Montianez Merriweather, 34, Jermaine Matthews, 39, and Vernon are among the assailants arrested and charged with felonious assault, assault and aggravated riot.
Police alleged Merriweather and Matthews coordinated the 'ambush' attack.
5 Five people have been charged in the attack.
@berniemorenoforohio
Merriweather appeared in court Thursday, where his family claimed afterwards the fight has only drawn so much attention and outrage because of race.
'If it was an African American woman who got knocked out… We wouldn't have been going through all this,' one of his unidentified loved ones told WLWT outside the courthouse.
Desire Merriweather, the alleged rumbler's cousin, expressed sympathy for the victims but insisted her relative is not a 'racist,' pointing to his biracial son as evidence.
5 Holly was hospitalized and returned to her home country after she was released.
@berniemorenoforohio
Ohio Senator Bernardo Moreno released harrowing photos of a bruised and battered Holly Thursday.
'When I saw the video [I] thought she had been killed,' Moreno told Fox News' 'Fox & Friends,' adding that the images of her injuries were 'so graphic, so horrible.'
'She wanted to have a nice evening out with friends. Instead, she got this.'
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