NEW YORK (PIX11) — A mother is speaking out after her daughter was brutally attacked in Brooklyn allegedly by her ex-boyfriend who is now on the run.
Police are searching for Raikem Figueroa who allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s workplace and assaulted her with a knife.
“We grew up together. I would never have expected him to do this to me,” said Irene Guzman, speaking from her hospital bed. Guzman said her ex-boyfriend stabbed and slashed her while she was at work.
Figueroa went to Guzman’s workplace on Tuesday and broke the window with a chair to get in and went on the attack, according to police. Guzman had to get 300 stitches to close multiple slashes on her face.
Guzman’s mother said Figueroa attacked her daughter on more than one occasion, including outside of a T-Mobile store on Fulton Street. Guzman apparently broke off the relationship but Figueroa would not let her go.
“He is sick. He is an animal,” Guzman’s mother said.
Guzman is also a mother and grandmother. She had only started dating Figueroa a few months ago, but the two apparently have known each other for years.
Guzman’s family started a GoFundMe to raise money for her medical bills.
Domestic and family health violence are common problems estimated to affect 10 million people in the United States every year. Anyone looking for help can find resources here.
