North Korean defector 'was called racist when she called cops on her mugger'

North Korean defector 'was called racist when she called cops on her mugger'
North Korean defector 'was called racist when she called cops on her mugger'

A woman who defected from North Korea and came to the US says she was mugged by three black women outside a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Chicago last year but was prevented from calling the police by white bystanders because doing so was ‘racist.’

Yeonmi Park, the Columbia University student who along with her mother was sold into slavery by human traffickers after fleeing North Korea when she was just 13, alleges the incident took place during last summer’s looting in the Windy City.

Park alleged that police and prosecutors declined to charge the thief, but public records indicate that 29-year-old Lecretia Harris was sentenced to two years in prison after her arrest in connection with the incident.

One of Harris’ accomplices managed to evade arrest. 

At around the time of the incident, the city was in the midst of widespread unrest as vandals smashed windows of dozens of businesses and made off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry.

Park said that bystanders encouraged Harris to run and were hostile to her when she tried to call the police. Some who witnessed the crime branded her a racist for trying to dial 911, according to Park. 

By speaking out about the incident, Park said that she has 'become the enemy of the woke.' 

Yeonmi Park, the Columbia University student who along with her mother was sold into slavery by human traffickers after fleeing North Korea when she was just 13, says she was called a racist by bystanders in Chicago last year after she tried to call police after she was mugged by three black women

Yeonmi Park, the Columbia University student who along with her mother was sold into slavery by human traffickers after fleeing North Korea when she was just 13, says she was called a racist by bystanders in Chicago last year after she tried to call police after she was mugged by three black women

The mugging took place near the Water Tower Place shopping complex on Michigan Avenue along Chicago's famed 'Magnificent Mile'

The mugging took place near the Water Tower Place shopping complex on Michigan Avenue along Chicago's famed 'Magnificent Mile'

COMMENTS ABOUT THE ROBBERY START NEAR THE 2:00:00 MARK 

During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Park said that she was accosted by three black women near the Saks Fifth Avenue on Michigan Avenue - right along the city’s famed ‘Magnificent Mile.’

‘Last year, during the looting in Chicago, I was robbed by these three black women,’ Park told Rogan on Tuesday.

‘Anybody can become a murderer or a thief, but it just happened to be a black woman.’

Park said that her nanny, who is a Muslim wearing a hijab, carrying her stroller behind her.

She claims that one of the women robbed her of her wallet. Park said that she then grabbed onto the thief’s arm to prevent her from fleeing and held onto it while attempting to call the police.

According to Park, a group of white bystanders who witnessed the robbery started calling her a racist for seeking to call the police.

‘They were telling me that the color of their skin doesn’t make them a thief,’ Park said.

‘Calling a black person a thief is racist.’

Park alleged that the thief punched her while she held onto her arm.

‘I tried to call the police and they (the bystanders) prevented me from calling the police,’ she said.

When asked who was preventing her from calling the police, Park replied: ‘All the people along Michigan Avenue [who witnessed the incident.]’

Park also claimed that the police obtained video footage of this incident but the authorities declined to prosecute the culprits.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department told DailyMail.com that officers responded to a report of an incident on the 800 block of North Michigan Avenue at around 4:12pm on August 14, 2020.

Lecretia Harris, 29, was sentenced to two years in prison after her arrest in connection with the incident

Lecretia Harris, 29, was sentenced to two years in prison after her arrest in connection with the incident

'The victim, a 26-year-old female, related she was at the above location when two female offenders approached,' according to the police.

'The offenders struck the victim and took personal property from her before fleeing northbound on foot.

'The victim declined medical assistance on scene.'

The spokesperson added: 'According to the report, officers were called to the scene and responded by 4:15pm.

'One of the offenders was placed into custody on August 21, 2020 and charged accordingly.'

The suspect was identified as Harris. She was charged with a felony count of robbery.

In January, Harris, who has several prior convictions including aggravated battery, pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful restraint. In exchange, she was given a two-year prison sentence.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the robbery count.

Police and prosecutors also said there were two perpetrators rather than three and that one of them was a man.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Park seeking to clear up the discrepancy. 

Prosecutors said that Harris used a stolen credit card to pay for a taxi cab ride, the CWB Chicago reported last year.

Police then used the information from that transaction to track down Harris.

At around the time of the incident, the city was in the midst of widespread unrest as vandals smashed windows of dozens of businesses and made off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry. Staff board up Louis Vuitton on Magnificent Mile in Chicago on August 10

At around the time of the incident, the city was in the midst of widespread unrest as vandals smashed windows of dozens of businesses and made off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry. Staff board up Louis Vuitton on Magnificent Mile in Chicago on August 10

Prosecutors said that Harris and another man approached Park, who was walking with her nanny and her baby just outside the Water Tower Place mall on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Harris and the man approached Park

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