In late 2013, a viral video emerged showing a young lady named Sharkeisha brutally sucker punch her schoolmate ShaMicheal Manuel. The video became a viral sensation as meme stars went to work with shocking video. Surprisingly, most people found the video funny, drowning out the sensible few who saw the clip for what it was: a vicious assault.
Photos released by ShaMicheal showed that she suffered a black eye and a busted lip. The name Sharkeisha became an internet hit, and though the attack happened nearly eight years ago, memes featuring the video still pop up on social media.
Sharkeisha reportedly lives in New York and is an Instagram model
In January 2021, MTO News reported that Sharkeisha lives in New York and is an Instagram model.
The outlet presented raunchy photos of a woman it claims to be Sharkeisha but didn’t provide her social media handle.
Sharkeisha became secretive on social media following her arrest, probably to escape the publicity that came with the viral video. An account run by @sharkeisha_babyy remains live on the internet, but we suspect that it is a fake account.
The account uses a mugshot from Sharkeisha Tyesha Thompson, a 22-year-old woman arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August 2011. She wouldn’t have used a fake mugshot if the account belonged to the Sharkeisha from the video.
In the days following the assault, a Twitter user named Queen Sharkeisha posted tweets celebrating her newfound notoriety. “I’m trending in Africa!” she wrote. “I didn’t even know they had internet they had internet there. I feel famous.”
Queen Sharkeisha gained thousands of followers and is still active. However, only users approved by Sharkeisha can access her tweets.
Over the years, false rumors have emerged claiming that Sharkeisha passed away. The first rumor claimed that Sharkeisha died in a hit and run.
The other rumor claimed that Sharkeisha was a victim of a drive-by shooting. The reports alleged that shooters on foot shot at Sharkeisha and her friend. Allegedly, the friend survived, but Sharkeisha passed away.
Her victim ShaMichael Manuel feared that the assault would haunt her for life
Sharkeisha’s assault on ShaMichael would probably have flown under the radar had their friend not recorded and shared the clip. The video prompted authorities to arrest Sharkeisha and charge her with assault.
ShaMichael had gone to Sharkeisha’s apartment to get things that belonged to her, oblivious of the ambush set by Sharkeisha. “I was just in shock,” ShaMichael told KHOU-TV. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. Did she really do this?’ You’re supposed to be my close friend.”
Sharkeisha didn’t seem any different as the pair talked in school hours before, ShaMichael said. She added that Sharkeisha was probably angry about a boy they both liked.
Manuel’s mom, Olevia Henderson, initially let the police handle the situation, but when the video went viral, she contacted the media. Henderson told HuffPost:
“Now the video is uploaded and people were making jokes about it. Kevin Hart making funny comments about it and a guy down here made a rap about it. That’s the first week. No one [from the police] is responding. So I call the news channel because people on the internet are making atrocious comments about my daughter and glorifying Sharkeisha.”
By the time ShaMicheal appeared on HuffPost, her wounds had healed, but the scar of being publicly assaulted and humiliated on the internet would never fade. She said (Per The Daily Mail): “I’m going to deal with this for the rest of my life. How would you feel like if that was your daughter and your son and that happened to them?”
Olevia felt her daughter’s pain every time she saw the video or witnessed others reacting to it. She added:
“I was in the grocery store, and the girl was checking out my groceries. The baggers were just laughing and talking about it. I said that’s my daughter in that video, and their whole expression changed.”