MLK’s Sister-in-Law Carjacked, Punched in the Face in Atlanta

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister-in-law, Naomi King, was carjacked and punched in the face Friday night.

“No, I wasn’t scared,” King said according to 11alive.

King, an Atlanta native, said she was in route back to her retirement community when she heard a voice demanding that she get out of her car.

“I said ‘I will not get out of my car.’ He said ‘I will bust you in your lips,'” King said.

The man threw a punch at King, hitting her in the face. “He gave me a hard lick on my cheek,” King said.

The carjacker, according to King, screamed again that she get out of the car. King refused, and the carjacker punched her again.

King’s assailant eventually gave up and ran away. Fortunately, the 83-year-old suffered only minor injuries.

Saturday, management at Big Bethel Village joined city leaders and Police Chief George Turner to talk about security at the retirement community.

The community is “frustrated,” said Atlanta Police Chief George N. Turner, “and the last thing we want to have happen is for our seniors to be afraid.”

Using the most recent FBI Uniform Crime data, Atlanta is the 12th most dangerous city in America. Indeed, Atlanta has seen a 24 percent increase in murders from the first half of 2014 according to the city’s crime reports. The violent and property crime rates in Atlanta are 234 and 82 percent higher than the Georgia average, respectively.

Investigators are searching for King’s attacker but according to reports, “they don’t have much of a description to go on.”

For her part, Naomi King, the widow of MLK, Jr.’s younger brother, insists that she was never afraid of the thug who attacked her. She played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement and has tremendous faith in God.

“When he turned away and ran away, I said a quick prayer and thanked God that my injuries was at a minimum,” King said.