Pregnant woman attacked with bat while leaving work in Racine
By Emily Pofahl
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RACINE, Wis. (WISN) — A pregnant woman and her unborn child are hospitalized after she was ambushed and attacked with a baseball bat outside her work at a group home in Racine on Thursday morning.
The attack happened near Golf Avenue and Windsor Drive, just before 7 a.m. Gheonna Lacy had just finished working third shift as a caretaker at the group home and was heading outside to warm up her car.
Surveillance video from a doorbell camera captured two hooded figures, one carrying a baseball bat, run off-screen toward where Lacy said the car was. Then, screaming can be heard in the video, and the sound of the baseball bat striking Lacy.
Lacy spoke with WISN 12 News Friday from her hospital bed.
“They just immediately knocked me to the ground. Started swinging the bat. Stomping me with their feet,” Lacy said.
Lacy is a young mother of two and is pregnant with her third child. She tried to protect her stomach during the attack because she said her assailants were targeting her unborn child.
“She was starting to kill the baby. To get the baby,” Lacy said of the woman who attacked her. “As a pregnant person, you feel like you’re safe. Like no one is going to touch you.”
Lacy recognized the woman as someone who had been stalking her over a relationship dispute, but did not recognize the man. After some time, the attackers ran away, and Lacy managed to crawl to safety and call 911.
Jenna Hunter, Lacy’s best friend who lives in Texas, learned about the attack over the phone.
“I never thought something like that would actually happen to her. Especially because she’s pregnant. She’s a good mother. She’s always at work, or she’s always at home,” Hunter said.
Lacy has a long road to recovery, but Friday said the baby is in stable condition.
“As soon as you know you’re pregnant, your whole world changes. Your child is your everything,” Hunter said.
Lacy’s loved ones say she is understandably very scared to return to work at the group home. Racine police stated that their violent crimes unit is handling the case, but as of Friday night, no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Racine police.
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