A WOMAN, surnamed Chen, was severely injured in a violent attack by one of her neighbors, Zhuo, at a residential complex in Luohu District on Friday, Shenzhen TV reported.

Medical records show that seven of Chen’s ribs were broken, her spleen ruptured, and half of her liver had to be removed due to the severe injuries. When reporters from the news program saw Chen in the hospital, she was lying on a bed with pipes all around her body.

Doctors said Chen was still in a critical stage. “It is too painful for me to move,” Chen said.

The victim recalled that Zhuo, the man who violently beat Chen, had followed her into the elevator after she ran into the man at the entrance of her building on Friday afternoon. “He said there was no way that I could replace him on the property owners’ committee before punching me in the face,” said Chen.

The woman fought back by slapping the man in the face, which only resulted in an even more violent attack. “I ran out of the elevator on the 14th floor and asked others to call the police, but he held me back and dragged me near the elevator and beat me until I passed out,” said Chen. The victim woke up in the hospital after police rescued her.

Though Chen and Zhuo had known each other for years, and Zhuo’s wife turned out to be one of Chen’s best friends, the man attacked her because Chen was a candidate to join the new property owners’ committee, according to Chen.

Both Zhuo and his wife are currently committee members, and Zhuo was not happy with Chen after she lodged complaints accusing him of colluding with the property management company to turn a former activity room for seniors into a profit-seeking mahjong room and a store.

Zhuo disappeared and remained unreachable after the attack.

According to some other residents living in the residential complex, Zhuo had been notorious in the neighborhood for being a violent alcoholic.

Ever since the violent incident, the residents have been scared to hang out there. “We used to have many children and old people playing and walking in the garden downstairs, but no one wants to stay here anymore,” said a resident.

Some insiders disclosed that many of the candidates running to be elected for the new committee had received threats from Zhuo.

Police have stepped in to investigate the incident. The election of a new property owners’ committee has been called off until the police finish the investigation.  (Zhang Qian)