Brave woman fights off male attacker who pounces in empty gym

18 February 2023 , 18:22

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Brave woman fights off male attacker who pounces in empty gym

A woman bravely fought off an attacker who grabbed her and tried to assault her in an empty gym.

Nashali Alma, 24, had let the man into the gym in her apartment complex in Florida, US, thinking he was there to work out and had seen him there before.

She had been exercising there alone.

After letting him in she carried on working out but after a few moments the man - Xavier Thomas-Jones, 25 - approached and tried to grab her, police say.

In the footage you can see Ms Alma try to push him away and a struggle erupts.

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Nashali Alma fought him off (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

The man chases her around the gym as she tries to call 911.

In a video of the incident, the man can be seen throwing the woman to the ground and pinning her there as Alma tried to fight him off.

She later said: "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 don't give up. You fight back. You show him that you are strong, you are one. That you are able to fight back and survive and get out the situation, I believe it's possible."

Eventually, the suspect released his hold on Alma, and she immediately ran out of the gym to a nearby apartment.

Police were able to identify Thomas-Jones down and arrested him less than 24 hours later.

Ms Alma tried to fend off her attacker (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Hoping to encourage other women to fight their attackers, Alma said: "I would tell every woman always to keep fighting, never give up.

"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. 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."

The suspect tried to grab her (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Sheriff Chad Chronister said: "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."

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Thomas-Jones was arrested on January 23, 2023 and faces charges of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping.

Xavier Thomas-Jones, 25, has been charged over the attack

Charlie Jones