Ms. Manners 1, mugger 0
It’s bad form, creep, to attack kickboxing etiquette pro
A mugger in a ninja costume got a much-needed lesson in manners Monday from a Manhattan mother who happens to be as good at kickboxing as she is at teaching etiquette.
Myka Meier proved to be no pushover when she was attacked from behind by a robber who tried to make off with her purse on a Chelsea street while she was walking with her 3-year-old daughter shortly after 9 a.m.
Meier, 38, screamed and fought the ninja off long enough for two construction workers and a doorman to come to her rescue.
The do-gooders chased down the costumed crook, and held him until police arrived.
“I think he was shocked that I fought back,” Meier told the Daily News. “I think I was more aggressive than he intended. But I train for this stuff. I leave my manners classes and I go kickbox.
Meier (photo) said she suffered bruises on her back and arms after she fell, still kicking. She also tore a thumbnail.
“There was a little tug of war over the bag for maybe about a second, and then he started running, once I think he saw the attention coming,” Meier said. “The doorman and the two construction workers did their thing and just grabbed him and held him.”
Meier said she went into “mama bear mode” after the mugger in a black ninja costume with a red cloth around his forehead interrupted a pleasant walk she was having along W. 22nd St. and Ninth Ave. with her daughter.
She said all she was thinking about was survival.
“It felt like he came out of nowhere,” Meier said. “He came to my right side, where my bag was, but it was looped around my shoulder. He didn’t say anything. I still had my bag in my possession and I kicked him. I just started kicking. The self-defense courses I’ve taken took over.”
Meier said her appearance probably made her look like an easy mark.
“I don’t want to be seen as the helpless victim,” she said. “I teach etiquette at The Plaza hotel. I am always in a dress and high heels, but I want people to know that you can be lady-like and fight off an attacker at the same time.”
Cops arrested Casique Roman, 41, of Hackensack, N.J., and charged him with robbery. Authorities said he has several prior arrests in New York and New Jersey dating back to 2014 for criminal mischief and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“We got the man and he’s off the streets, and I hope he stays off the streets,” Meier said. “This isn’t an innocent person. This is a violent man that would attack a mom with her child. He was aggressive. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have just given e him my bag. I was just in mama m bear mode.”
Meier said she has noticed an a uptick in crime in recent weeks, and it has affected how she operates indoors and outside.
“I don’t walk around with ewelry,” she said. “I don’t j walk around with super nice things. I walk around with things I wouldn’t be upset that I lost. You have to think that way now. It’s sad. I’m extra careful. At home, I’ve got a full alarm system. Even with that, that’s the crazy part: This can happen in the morning on a weekday just walking down the street.”
She said her attacker could use a little etiquette.
“I’m all about educating people on manners,” Meier said. “This guy certainly needs some.”