An uptick in dangerous attacks has affected the way Americans, especially those living in large cities, live their daily lives. Everyone is aware of dangerous areas that have to be avoided. But a brave Tampa woman who was attacked in her apartment complex gym has shared that often a secret to surviving an attack is to keep fighting back.
24-year-old Nasahli Alma gave the stranger way more than he bargained for. She was exercising in the apartment’s gym and was alone when a man knocked on the door. She assumed he was there to work out just like she was, never dreaming the man had a more nefarious plan in mind. Shortly after letting him in, Alma went back to working out. The man approached her and tried to grab hold of her.
According to a news release on the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office website, the incident took place on Jan. 23 at the Inwood Park Apartment Complex. Alma first dodged and ran away from the assailant before battling her way free of him as he attempted to attack her and pin her to the ground. Police were able to find and arrest Xavier Thomas-Jones, 25. Jones faces charges of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping.
In a follow-up interview after the attack, Alma told a tv station she was unafraid,
“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.”
She continued,
“He grabbed me, and I’m like, ‘heck no, it’s game time. I took my phone, and I smashed his head, and punched him. I knew I had the strength, I knew I could fight, and I wasn’t going to let this man win at all,” she said.
“The more fight you put, the more they want to give up,” saying she told herself, “If I keep going, I keep pushing, he’s going to stop. He’s going to let go, and he finally did.”
She offered encouragement and advice to any other woman who might find herself in a similar situation,
“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 as I was fighting him. I would tell every woman always to keep fighting, never give up.
In the sheriff’s statement, she said, “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.”
Alma’s story is one the local sheriff’s office hopes will encourage other women to come forward and also to fight back.
“It’s better to reach out to law enforcement sooner than later. The sooner they have the information, the sooner they can catch that person,” She added.
