Anna Lushchinskaya, 40, claims she was the victim as she spoke exclusively to Inside Edition.
A woman who was filmed attacking another New York City subway passenger last month is defending herself in an interview with Inside Edition.
The video, which has been viewed online more than 12 million times, was filmed during rush hour at 7:45 a.m. in December. Attorney Anna Lushchinskaya, who was seen swinging her umbrella at another woman in the video, claims she was the one who was attacked.
“The video didn't start in the beginning,” she said.
The video begins with Lushchinskaya, 40, cursing then smacking an Asian commuter on the hand. Lushchinskaya then takes off her glasses and gloves, tucks them into her bag and begins kicking the passenger. She then brandishes her small umbrella.
Other passengers intervene. One person tells Lushchinskaya, "She's not even fighting you back!" Another passenger grabs the umbrella.
But Lushchinskaya said she did nothing wrong.
“What is the reason I need to step out of the subway if I’m being attacked? What's the reason I need to do that?” she asked.
When asked by Inside Edition if she was out of control, Lushchinskaya countered, “How am I crazy? I was defending myself to the best of my ability.”
In the video, the Brooklyn lawyer spit at the woman and used a racial slur. She also called a Dominican passenger, Juan Ayala, “Mohammed Atta.” Mohammed Atta was one of masterminds of the 9/11 attacks.
When Inside Edition's Megan Alexander told Lushchinskaya she had offended people with the remarks, she replied, “That is too bad. It’s their opinion.”
Ayala recorded the drama on his phone and says no one ever attacked Lushchinskaya. In the video, she knocked the phone out of his hand. He held onto her until authorities arrived.
"If she thinks she is innocent is all of this, obviously the whole world was filming, so everybody saw what went down. I am just glad I was there to capture that moment," he told Inside Edition.
Lushchinskaya was charged with attempted assault, harassment and menacing. She also has a prior arrest for allegedly assaulting a passenger on the subway using pepper spray.
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