Photo: Kittiphan Teerawattanakul/ EyeEm/ Getty Images
A 24-year-old woman in Tampa, Florida, was recently attacked at the gym, and the troubling ordeal was all caught on camera.
The ordeal went down back on Jan. 22, and it took place as Nashali Alma was completing a workout at her apartment complex’s gym.
While exercising in the empty facility, a man approached the door and attempted to get in. Nashali then proceeded to open the door, as she had seen him around the gym before, ABC Action News reports.
“Usually, people forget their key tags and fobs. We do let them in, so I let the gentleman in. I didn’t think twice about letting him in. I was in the middle of my workout.”
However, after she got back to her set, the man approached and attempted to grab Nashali. In response, she attempted to get away, and—after he got ahold of her—she fought back with all her might.
“After we were on the ground wrestling for a little bit I went ahead and pulled his beard hair. I started twisting, twisted, twisted. I could see from his face that it hurt really bad.”
Nashali was noted that she was unable to contact law enforcement during the struggle, though she was able to tire him out thanks to her relentless efforts. As a result, he ultimately gave up.
“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.”
On Jan. 23, the suspect—identified as Xavier Thomas-Jones—was taken into custody after entering another woman’s home and asking to “hang out.”
However, he was chased away by the woman’s partner. Upon being taken into custody, Xavier reportedly admitted to wanting to have sexual relations with both of the women he accosted.
We should note that this video began circulating in the aftermath of various women taking to the internet to share “gym creep” videos—which are clips that highlight men supposedly checking them out during their workout.
In the face of these videos, many men—including content creator Joey Swoll—hopped online to push back against the narrative.
As a result, people are calling for previous detractors to take note of the situation in Tampa, as it highlights the exact situation that many gym-going women fear.
What do you think about the overall situation?
