A woman in Florida bravely fought off and escaped a man who attacked her inside her apartment complex’s gym last month.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, 24-year-old fitness model Nashali Alma was working out in the gym by herself at the Inwood Park Apartment Complex in Tampa on January 22 when she noticed a man trying to get into the facility and buzzed him in. She said in a video posted on social media by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday:
“My thought process was, it’s just another dude coming to work out. I didn’t think anything out of that.”
According to Fox Tampa, officers said she previously had seen him at the gym. Nashali continued to work out, but things quickly took a horrifying turn. Several minutes later, the guy approached her and tried to grab her waist. She pushed him away, demanding that he get away from her. However, he continued to chase and attack Nashali. She recalled:
“As soon as he was approaching me, I pushed him. I said, ‘Bro, what the F are you doing? Get away from me. Stop trying to touch me.’ He started chasing me around the bench, and we ended up on the other side of the gym.”
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Security footage captured the entire incident. In the shocking video, the two can be seen sparring for a few moments before the attacker pinned her to the floor. But Nashali refused to give up and fought back while attempting to call the authorities. She told Fox Tampa:
“When it was happening, I actually had no fear. I am a bodybuilder, and I’m actually pretty strong, so in my mind, he was kinda equal to me.”
Her efforts were successful, as he eventually let her go. She then escaped the gym and ran to a nearby apartment to get help, per HCSO officials. Less than 24 hours later, police arrested 25-year-old Xavier Thomas-Jones, and he now faces charges of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. You can watch the harrowing video (below):
This is so, so scary!
According to Fox Tampa, Xavier lived at the apartment complex and admitted to attacking Nashali because he wanted to have sex with her. WTF. But that wasn’t the only crime he confessed to. The day after the incident, he attempted to make a pass at another female resident. Law enforcement said Xavier watched another woman on her balcony “for several minutes” before knocking on her apartment door. When she answered, he asked her if she wanted to “hang out” with him. The woman, who had no idea he was staring at her before, responded:
“Who the f**k are you?”
She soon became afraid when Xavier took four steps into her home. Thankfully, her fiancée was there and chased him away from their apartment, taking a video of him. As we mentioned before, Xavier was then arrested later that day. He admitted to police he approached the second victim because he thought she was “pretty” and wanted to sleep with her too. Awful.
While this must have been terrifying, Nashali shared that she came forward with her experience “to encourage other women who’ve dealt with similar incidents to speak out.” She added:
“My advice would be to never give up. My parents always told me in life to never give up on anything and that’s one thing I kept in my mind when I was fighting him. As long as you fight back and show him that you’re strong and you’re not giving up, I believe it’s possible to escape.”
Sheriff Chad Chronister also commended Nashali on her “bravery” to open up about her story:
“I was disgusted by the suspect’s actions, how he preyed on this young woman. This woman’s strength, courage, and determination are inspiring. I know that her bravery to share this story will impact the lives of many other women.”
We’re glad Nashali and the other woman are OK following these terrible incidents! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, HCSOSheriff/YouTube]
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