MIAMI SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are searching for a man who, police said, was caught on surveillance cameras attempting to sexually batter a sales clerk inside a smoke shop in Miami Springs, and now the victim is opening up and sharing her story.

According to Miami Springs Police, the incident happened on Nov. 9 at the Red Eye Smoke Shop, located at 12 Canal St.

The store’s security footage captured a man walking into the shop and looking at merchandise.

Detectives said that the subject entered the store just before midnight, made a purchase and then left.

Ahilin Campos, the clerk who was targeted, spoke with 7News on Thursday.

“A tall, really strong guy comes in. He grabs two Black & Milds, he pays cash,” she said,

Police said the man returned to the store 15 minutes later and asked the 20-year-old employee if she could give him marijuana.

“Twenty minutes later, I see he comes back in, but he comes in without a shirt,” said Campos.

After telling the subject that the store didn’t offer marijuana, the surveillance video shows the man pulling the victim behind the counter.

Campos said she struggled to break away from his grip.

“He grabbed me by the hands, he started pulling me towards him, and I was like, ‘Please, don’t touch me. Please, don’t do anything to me,’” she said.

The subject, police said, then dragged the victim to a storage room and placed a shirt over her face as he touched her breasts and other parts of her body.

“He grabbed me by my knees, my legs, and then he pulled me down, I hit my head,” said Campos. “I hit myself with this door in the head.”

The subject then pushed the victim on the ground.

“He grabbed his shirt, and he put it in my mouth, and then he was trying to pull my pants off,” said Campos.

Campos, who stands 4 feet, 11 inches tall, said she started fighting for her life.

“I stood back up, I was fighting back with him. I wasn’t going to let him do that to me that easy,” she said.

Acting quickly, the woman used a toilet plunger that was in the storage room and hit the subject several times.

“I just literally grabbed it, just like this, and started kicking him, as much as I could,” said Campos.

That’s when she made a split-second decision that saved her life.

“I told him I already pressed the button, an emergency button, and the police is coming,” said Campos.

There was no emergency button installed in the store, but luckily, the subject believed her and fled the store.

“I said that to him, but there’s not a button in here,” said Campos. “That’s what came up to my brain.”

Now she hopes the surveillance video that captured her entire ordeal can help police find him.

“I don’t know what he thought, I don’t know, he run away,” said Campos. “I just feel like I have to talk about it, so that no girl ever goes through that.”

The subject was described as a 30- to 40-year-old man who stands about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, has an athletic build, has a medium length afro hairstyle and a goatee.

If you have any information on this incident or the subject’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

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