Two parents in Washington allegedly tried to choke their 17-year-old daughter to death in an apparent “honor killing” attempt after she refused an arranged marriage with an older man, police said.
Ihsan Ali and his wife, Zahraa Ali, have been charged with attempted murder for the attack outside the teen’s school, Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington.
The father also allegedly punched his daughter’s boyfriend in the face outside the school, the New York Post reports.
The daughter has not been identified, but told police that her “father had recently been threatening her with honor killing for refusing an arranged marriage with an older man in another country,” the police report said.
On October 18, the girl ran away from home and sought help from staff at her high school. Her parents followed her to the school and allegedly attacked her outside the facility, where her father began choking her “to the point where she had lost consciousness.”
Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, where Ihsan Ali and his wife, Zahraa, allegedly attempted an ‘honor killing’ on their 17-year-old daughter who refused an arranged marriage (Google Maps)
Other students, including the girl’s boyfriend, tried to pry her father off of her, according to police.
Video footage first obtained by Fox 13 Seattle showed the father choking the girl into the ground and shoving her face into the dirt while students surround him and tell him to stop. The girl’s mother also allegedly tried to choke her.
Good Samaritan Josh Wagner told KOMO that he was driving by when he spotted the alleged attack occurring. He stopped and approached the scene, thinking he was going to break up a fight between teens, but found the parents allegedly attacking their daughter.
Wagner grappled with Ihsan and held him down until police arrived on scene.
“It was pretty angering. All the kids were screaming, yelling,” he told KOMO.
Once her father was off of her, the girl reportedly ran off with her boyfriend back to the school’s main office while yelling that her father was trying to kill her. The incident prompted a school lockdown and school staff refused to let the girl’s parents inside the building.
The girl’s boyfriend told KOMO that he had experienced previous issues with his girlfriend’s family to the point where he felt it necessary to get a temporary protective order against them.
The daughter’s school has arranged a safe place for her to stay while police investigate the incident.
