ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A young Alpharetta mother on her way to work got the scare of a lifetime when she was unexpectedly attacked by a man who had just walked by her behind a shopping plaza.
The young mom was able to fight back and scare the attacker off. Thanks to surveillance video and a good description, Alpharetta police were able to arrest the attacker just two days later.
The young mom shared her story exclusively with Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach with the hope it reminds people to always stay vigilant and to be aware of their surroundings. She asked us not to show her on camera or identify her. Her words were clear and powerful and a great reminder about the importance of awareness.
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The mom told Gehlbach she was walking to work off of Windward Parkway a little before sunrise on Friday. She was walking in a driveway that stretches between two hotels and a Burger-Fi. According to police, the suspect spotted her and allegedly hid behind some doors covering a dumpster, waiting for his potential victim to walk by and pounce.
“It looked like he saw the victim coming from a distance, then took up position to hide from her in a dumpster area then wait for her to walk by before he committed the attack,” said Alpharetta police detective Andrew Splawn.
Splawn showed Gehlbach video of the attack from two different surveillance cameras in the driveway area. It shows the suspect stalking the victim and when he pounces, you can see that she reacts immediately.
“So I tried to spray him, but my hands was silly,” the victim said.
She said she fell to the ground, hit her head and when her pepper spray wouldn’t work, kept kicking and screaming. All this happened as police said the suspect was trying to drag her off.
“So he tried to hold me from my feet to take me I don’t know where,” the victim said.
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She eventually broke free and the suspect ran away. She said her first and only instinct was to fight back.
“I have to support my kids, so that’s why fight, do whatever you can,” the victim said. “If he want to kill you, he will kill you.”
Two days later, police spotted someone matching the suspect’s description and arrested 21-year-old Marsavix Frazier. Frazier is charged with battery and attempted kidnapping.
Gehlbach looked into Frazier’s background in Fulton County and could not find any criminal history. Police said Frazier told them he was homeless and staying at a nearby hotel with his mother.
He’s now being held in the Fulton County Jail without bond.
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Alpharetta police said that incidents like this one are still pretty rare. But they also have advice to help people avoid becoming potential victims.
“It’s always important to stay vigilant to surroundings, take notice of people, take notice of things and make sure paying attention.”
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