*You are all alone in a gym exercising when someone knocks on the door. You open, the person enters, and soon you realize this is an attacker out to sexually molest you at all costs. What do you do?
A woman identified as Nashali Alma was exercising in the gym in Inwood Park Apartment Complex in Tampa, Florida when one Xavier Thomas-Jones walked in and attacked her. But Nashali, 24, put on a spirited fight to defend herself in the apartment gym and eventually stopped the man from sexually abusing her.
The incident, caught on a security camera in the gym, occurred on January 22. The suspect left the scene but was later arrested after he tried to molest yet another woman, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The security footage, which was posted on social media by the sheriff’s office, shows Nashali exercising before pausing to open the door for Thomas-Jones, 25, who is shown waiting outside after knocking on the door. Nashali resumes her workout, assuming the newcomer is also here to exercise, but he is shown heading straight to where she is.
By now, she has already figured out that he is up to no good, so she leaps away and gathers herself for a fight when he tries to grab her waist. The attacker and his would-be victim sparred for several moments, with the attacker pinning her to the floor. But she managed to push him off, get back on her feet, and then dash to a nearby apartment. She then called the police.
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In a video accompanying the footage, Nashali explains that she pushed the intruder as soon as he approached her.
“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.”
Thomas-Jones actually lived at the Inwood complex, according to a report by FOX13, but it is not clear if Alma had known him before the attack.
After attacking Nashali, the assailant tried to enter another woman’s apartment in the complex in the same complex. Thomas-Jones was eventually arrested by two deputies in less than 24 hours. He later allegedly admitted to the police that he wanted to have sex with Nashali.
He also admitted he targeted the second woman because he thought she was “pretty.”
Thomas-Jones has been charged with sexual battery, false imprisonment, burglary and kidnapping. He remained in custody as of Thursday.
“I was disgusted by the suspect’s actions, how he preyed on this young woman,” Sheriff Chad Chronister says in the video. “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.”
Nashali has said she hopes to use her experience to help other women fight for themselves.
“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,” she said.
She added that 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 said.
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