Woman attacked in parking garage outside Target in Buckhead

ATLANTA — A woman said she was attacked by a man trying to steal her purse in a parking garage.

The victim said she was leaving the Target on Peachtree Road in Buckhead around 7 p.m. Monday when a man dressed all in black walked up to her and demanded her purse.

“The surprise factor is how he got me,” Matraya Lewis said.

When she hesitated and didn’t give him the purse, the man punched her in the face five times, she said.

“It was like a soft, ‘Give me your bag.’ I’m, like, ‘No’ and then he just jumped me,” Lewis said.

She said she was knocked to the ground.

“I was in so much shock that it wasn’t until he was hitting me that I really kind of woke up and was, like, I need to get into defense mode,” she said.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Alpharetta police officer fired for 'mishandling evidence' during drug raid
• 2 students dead, several wounded in shooting at Kentucky high school
• Asian buffet fails health inspection; pink mold among violations

Lewis said she kicked the man in the groin as other people in the store started to realize what was going on.

“He got off me and, as he was kind of running, he was holding himself and he just sprinted,” she said.

Police said the man escaped before they arrived.

Lewis said she’s glad she escaped but she’s upset that the attacker may have a chance to hurt others.

“I wish I could have held onto him in a way that he would have gotten caught,” she said.

The attacker was described as a black man in his late 20s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a goatee.

Police said they have surveillance video of the man but have not released it yet.

Anyone with information on the case should contact CrimeStoppers at 404-577-8477.

Cox Media Group