Alleged 'honor killing' attempt leads to parents' arrest outside of Lacey high school
An image of a Lacey Police Department vehicle. (KOMO News)
LACEY, Wash. — Two Lacey parents are facing criminal charges, including assault, attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, after several bystanders had to step in to stop a father from strangling his daughter outside a school.
The incident happened outside Timberline High School on Oct. 18. The girl’s parents, Ihsan and Zahraa Ali, were both arrested after the confrontation, and court records indicate it could be related to a possible ‘honor killing.'
According to court records, the 17-year-old victim told investigators her father had recently been threatening her with an ‘honor killing’ after she refused to go to another country for an arranged marriage with an older man. She reportedly went to her school for help, which then led to the confrontation outside.
“The dad was on his back, and his daughter was on top of him, and he had her in a choke hold,” Josh Wagner, who witnessed the incident, told KOMO News.
An image of the outside of Timberline High School, which is located in Lacey, Washington. (KOMO News)
Wagner was driving with his family near Timberline High School on Oct. 18 when he noticed what he thought was a group of kids fighting, but as he jumped in to break up the fight, he realized it was a man choking a teenage girl.
“It was pretty angering. I didn't know what was going on, why it was happening,” Wagner said. “All the kids were screaming, yelling.”
Court records state Ihsan Ali was choking his 17-year-old daughter “to the point where she had lost consciousness” as other students, including the girl’s boyfriend, tried to pull her away.
“What I saw was the adult male had the teenager in a headlock, choking her from the back, so I removed his arm from her, and then she got up and ran with another kid, who come to find out, was her boyfriend and she was the daughter of the adult male,” Wagner said. “So then I just held him on the ground till the police arrived and then handcuffed him and searched him and then moved him to the police car.”
According to court documents, the girl’s mother, Zahraa Ali, was also grabbing at the girl and choking her. Investigators said the girl’s father also punched her boyfriend.
“He proceeded to black out and punch my son in the face and proceeded to try to kill his daughter,” Victor Barnes, whose son was one of the students trying to stop the attack, said.
Court documents state the girl eventually got away and ran into the school screaming, “My dad was trying to kill me, he was trying to kill me,” which prompted a lockdown as school staff blocked the girl’s parents from getting to her.
An image of the outside of Timberline High School, which is located in Lacey, Washington. (KOMO News)
“This isn’t right, and the more we continue to allow these types of actions to take place in a society where what the climate is what it is right now post-election, there's just no place for that type of activity anywhere,” Barnes said.
“A lot of these stories exist, a lot of these stories are out here, some aren’t able to be heard for whatever reason,” Barnes added. “I just want people to be aware these stories do exist.”
Barnes also told KOMO News the issues with the Ali family have been going on for months with one prior physical incident forcing them to get a temporary protection order against Zarhaa Ali, and court records state she was also banned from stepping onto school property after that incident.
KOMO News reached out to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to see if they are investigating the Ali family but were told child welfare records are confidential.
North Thurston Public Schools told KOMO News in a statement:
“We work with families, staff, and law enforcement partners to maintain safety and security on our campuses, and we take student and staff safety extremely seriously. When unique situations arise, we work with concerned parties to provide a safe learning environment, and we are doing so in this case.”
According to court records, the victim’s school helped connect her with a safe place to stay.
The suspects are due back in court on Nov. 20 for a pre-trial hearing.
Link / archive
An image of a Lacey Police Department vehicle. (KOMO News)
LACEY, Wash. — Two Lacey parents are facing criminal charges, including assault, attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, after several bystanders had to step in to stop a father from strangling his daughter outside a school.
The incident happened outside Timberline High School on Oct. 18. The girl’s parents, Ihsan and Zahraa Ali, were both arrested after the confrontation, and court records indicate it could be related to a possible ‘honor killing.'
According to court records, the 17-year-old victim told investigators her father had recently been threatening her with an ‘honor killing’ after she refused to go to another country for an arranged marriage with an older man. She reportedly went to her school for help, which then led to the confrontation outside.
“The dad was on his back, and his daughter was on top of him, and he had her in a choke hold,” Josh Wagner, who witnessed the incident, told KOMO News.
An image of the outside of Timberline High School, which is located in Lacey, Washington. (KOMO News)
Wagner was driving with his family near Timberline High School on Oct. 18 when he noticed what he thought was a group of kids fighting, but as he jumped in to break up the fight, he realized it was a man choking a teenage girl.
“It was pretty angering. I didn't know what was going on, why it was happening,” Wagner said. “All the kids were screaming, yelling.”
Court records state Ihsan Ali was choking his 17-year-old daughter “to the point where she had lost consciousness” as other students, including the girl’s boyfriend, tried to pull her away.
“What I saw was the adult male had the teenager in a headlock, choking her from the back, so I removed his arm from her, and then she got up and ran with another kid, who come to find out, was her boyfriend and she was the daughter of the adult male,” Wagner said. “So then I just held him on the ground till the police arrived and then handcuffed him and searched him and then moved him to the police car.”
According to court documents, the girl’s mother, Zahraa Ali, was also grabbing at the girl and choking her. Investigators said the girl’s father also punched her boyfriend.
“He proceeded to black out and punch my son in the face and proceeded to try to kill his daughter,” Victor Barnes, whose son was one of the students trying to stop the attack, said.
Court documents state the girl eventually got away and ran into the school screaming, “My dad was trying to kill me, he was trying to kill me,” which prompted a lockdown as school staff blocked the girl’s parents from getting to her.
An image of the outside of Timberline High School, which is located in Lacey, Washington. (KOMO News)
“This isn’t right, and the more we continue to allow these types of actions to take place in a society where what the climate is what it is right now post-election, there's just no place for that type of activity anywhere,” Barnes said.
“A lot of these stories exist, a lot of these stories are out here, some aren’t able to be heard for whatever reason,” Barnes added. “I just want people to be aware these stories do exist.”
Barnes also told KOMO News the issues with the Ali family have been going on for months with one prior physical incident forcing them to get a temporary protection order against Zarhaa Ali, and court records state she was also banned from stepping onto school property after that incident.
KOMO News reached out to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to see if they are investigating the Ali family but were told child welfare records are confidential.
North Thurston Public Schools told KOMO News in a statement:
“We work with families, staff, and law enforcement partners to maintain safety and security on our campuses, and we take student and staff safety extremely seriously. When unique situations arise, we work with concerned parties to provide a safe learning environment, and we are doing so in this case.”
According to court records, the victim’s school helped connect her with a safe place to stay.
The suspects are due back in court on Nov. 20 for a pre-trial hearing.
Link / archive
