TikToker Halley Kate McGookin says she can still feel her head injury nearly two years after she was allegedly punched by a man in the streets of New York City.
McGookin, 25, appeared at the Manhattan Supreme Court trial of Skiboky Stora on Tuesday, February 3, where she claimed that she was on her way to record a podcast in March 2024 when she was punched by a stranger, according to the New York Post. She further testified that she was so caught off guard by the alleged assault that she even apologized to her attacker.
“He was screaming at me, using a lot of profanity, saying it was my fault,” McGookin testified, according to the outlet.
McGookin claimed she can still feel pain at her hairline where she was allegedly struck.
“I couldn’t really touch anywhere near that spot,” she continued. “I couldn’t really brush my head because it was so painful, tender. “I can still feel in my hairline where I was hit.”
Stora, 42, is charged with three counts of third-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of stalking as a hate crime and second-degree aggravated harassment connected to several alleged random attacks in NYC, including an incident where he allegedly attacked a Jewish couple and yelled, “Die, Jews! Die!”
“Skiboky Stora allegedly committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against several individuals based on their perceived gender, race and religion,” said District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. in May 2024, according to ABC News. “Much of what defines our city is respect and acceptance of all people. Nobody should have to fear for their safety because of their identity. I thank our prosecutors for their unwavering commitment in seeking justice for these victims.”
Stora was arrested two days after the alleged attack on McGookin, following an investigation by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force and the Manhattan DA’s office.
McGookin, who did not directly identify Stora as her attacker, posted a video to TikTok about the alleged assault shortly after she claimed it occurred.
“You guys, I was literally just walking, and a man came up and punched me in the face. Oh my God, it was so bad. I can’t even talk,” McGookin said in the video, which went viral and prompted several other TikTok users to come forward with accounts of similar alleged incidents.
Stora, a self-proclaimed rapper, appeared in court wearing a tie with his first name on it. He is representing himself in the trial and reportedly ignoring advice from a legal adviser, according to the NY Post.
Stora asked McGookin a series of unusual questions in court, including one about allegedly being the target of a federal probe and another about a “TikTok trend going around that people were saying they were punched, sucker-punched too.”
The questions were shut down by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Josh Hanshaft.
Stora’s trial is set to resume on Wednesday, February 4.
Ahead of her appearance in court on Tuesday, McGookin, who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok at the time of publication, took to Instagram to share a video of herself walking down the sidewalk to “The Phantom of the Opera.”
“What plays in my head as I am walking up to the courthouse to testify against the man who hit me in the head two years ago,” she wrote over the clip.
McGookin added in the caption, “He hit the wrong girl lemme tell u that.”
