Woman who fought off attacker after he chased her around gym speaks out
A woman who fought off an attacker in her gym has spoken out about the terrifying experience.
Nashali Alma was working out in her apartment's gym complex in Florida when she let in a man who she assumed was there to exercise.
But shortly after letting him in, the 24-year-old was attacked.
Watch the CCTV footage here:
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In the security footage, the man can be seen approaching Alma, who pushed him away. She then tried to evade the attacker while attempting to call the police, and the man ended up pinning her to the ground.
Alma did not give up fighting back though, and eventually she was able to escape and call the cops.
Reflecting on the horrific ordeal, she told TMZ Live: "I was there alone, working out. I was in the middle of my set and I hear a knock on the door, and some people do forget their key fobs, and so I just let him in and I didn't really pay too much attention. I just went back to finish up my workout.
"For the first half of the encounter he didn't say a single word to me, it was just me talking like, 'What are you doing bro? Get the f- away from me.'
"He wasn't exchanging any words until we reached the other side of the gym where I was trying to call 911 and he said, 'Don't do that. Don't call nobody.'
"That's when he grabbed me and we started going at it."
Asked how she managed to ultimately fend off the attacker, she said: "As you can see in the video, when he grabbed me I started off with punching him in his head with my phone, then I started jabbing him with my left hand.
"Then we ended up on the floor for a little bit, and off the camera - you don't see it obviously - he was trying to put me in a chokehold and I somehow slipped out of it, I elbowed him in the face and I grabbed all of his beard hairs.
"I started twisting it and twisting it, and that's when you see me standing up, and I just tell him, 'Get off,' and he kind of just let go, and I just ran out."
Xavier Thomas-Jones, 25, was subsequently arrested and faces charges of sexual battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said that he was 'grateful' that Alma came forward.
"I was disgusted by the suspect's actions, how he preyed on this young woman. This woman's strength, courage, and determination are inspiring," he said.
"I know her story is going to be an inspiration to other women."
Meanwhile, Alma said that she has continued to go to the gym and has received an outpouring of love following the attack.
"I'm actually feeling really good," she said. "The last two days I've woken up to a lot of people just being so supportive, showing a lot of love - it feels great."
Jake Massey