NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A short walk from work turned into a long nightmare for a Norfolk woman after she was violently attacked last week.
The attack itself occurred on Colley Avenue at Redgate Avenue in Ghent, a place where many medical professionals have to travel from hospitals to their cars.
Madelyn Startt was walking home from work on Colley Avenue around 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 18.
Hearing footsteps that seemed too close behind her, she noticed a man walking a little too close for comfort and turned and started crossing the crosswalk toward Redgate Avenue.
The next thing she knew, she was forced to the ground in the middle of the road.
“He grabbed me from behind with his arm, put his arm around my neck, and then he pushed me to the ground,” Startt said.
Startt was stunned and said she went into survival mode when she felt the man’s hands trying to close around her neck.
“I was just screaming,” Startt said. “Someone was going to hear me. I was afraid he had a weapon. It was my biggest fear. “Oh my God, what if he stabbed me now or what if he had a gun.”
A swift kick to the chest knocked the man backwards and gave Startt enough room to escape and run towards his building. She believes the attack was sexually motivated.
“At first I thought he was trying to rob me because I was wearing a backpack,” Startt said.
She said the man began following her toward her apartment and then ran away.
“Noting how many people were there, I think he got scared and then ran as fast as he could in a different direction,” Startt said.
The attack shook Startt, who no longer walks to work and chooses to drive.
“It’s just a very awkward feeling that potentially someone is lurking here and trying to target women,” Startt said.
Startt couldn’t get a good look at the attacker’s face, but said he was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up and was about 5 feet 8 inches tall.
“I have to tell everyone about it because I see people walking alone all the time, women in particular, walking their dogs, walking, leaving work because the hospital is right here,” Startt said. “I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
A report was filed with Norfolk Police, who told 10 On Your Side they are investigating the assault and are asking anyone with information to contact them.
If you have information about this case, you can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, downloading the P3 Tips app on a mobile device, or visiting www.P3tips.com and submitting a tip.
For breaking news, weather, sports and streaming videos, visit WAVY.com.
yahoo
