A woman used self-defense moves to escape a real-life attacker, and shared her story to inspire others
Content warning: This story contains a details about a sexual assault, please read with caution.
Every woman’s nightmare came true for one very brave and badass Seattle resident: Kelly Herron was attacked by a man in a public restroom. Luckily for Herron, she escaped his brutal attack by using tactics she learned in a self-defense class. And now she’s encouraging all women to learn the self-defense moves that could one day save their lives.
Last Sunday afternoon, Herron was out for a 10-mile run in preparation for an upcoming marathon. Four miles in, she stopped to use a public restroom in Golden Gardens Park. She quickly realized she wasn’t alone.
“As I was drying my hands I became aware that something was wrong, Herron told ABC News.
When she turned around, she saw a man standing in the restroom with her. According KOMO News in Seattle, that man was Gary Steiner, a 40-year-old registered level 3 sex offender in Arizona.
“He immediately took me down to the ground, hit both my knees and legs, and then it was a fight on the bathroom floor and I just kept screaming, ‘not today m—– f—–,’ Herron said.
Herron tried locking herself in a stall, but Steiner broke in and began beating her.
However, Herron suddenly realized something: “This doesn’t have to be a fair fight,” she thought, and defended herself with self-defense tactics that she had learned in a two-hour class just three weeks earlier.
She took to Instagram to share her story, because we all need to hear it.
“I was screaming at him, ‘not today, m—– f—–.’ Being loud and not afraid. I mean you are afraid, but letting him know you are not taking me down today. You are not going to win this fight, she told ABC Kiro 7.
Steiner was arrested after a passerby assisted Herron and locked the attacker in a stall with a carabiner clip.
On Wednesday, he was charged with attempted rape after admitting to police he went into the restroom to rape a woman.
We are so proud of Herron and her ability to kick some major ass, freeing herself from a terrifying situation that could have been a lot worse. And it’s definitely time to brush up on those self-defense moves.
