MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami woman said she was attacked by a man while on her morning walk, but then she turned the tables on her assailant.
Giselle Lora described the terrifying ordeal that, she said, took place during her daily exercise routine along Port Boulevard, near Bayside and the FTX Arena, at around 8 a.m., Tuesday.
“It’s sexual assault. I was groped,” she said.
The victim said it happened near where she lives, in an area she calls her backyard.
“So I’m walking through here like I do every morning,” she said.
But during her brisk neighborhood walk, Lora said, she felt the presence of a man who was lurking nearby.
By the time she turned her head, the victim said, it was too late to get away.
The man, she said, was coming at her.
“I started to walk faster,” she said.
Lora said she intuited the man was up to no good.
“I could tell,” she said.
Moments later, she said, the man ran toward her.
“He grabbed me from behind, and he grabbed me on my waist,” she said. “I screamed really, really loud.”
What the assailant was probably not expecting, however, was for the victim to fight back.
“I stepped into him, and he went this way, and I went like that, because I said, ‘Come on! What do you want?'” said Lora.
The victim said she threw an elbow, yelled and squared up in a fighting stance, scared off her attacker.
“I started running,” she said.
Not away from the man, she said, but after him.
“I’m like, ‘Come on, come on! Turn around! Turn around! Let me see your face!'” she said.
Lora said she reached for her cellphone.
“[I screamed at him], ‘I’m gonna show the police! Let me see your face! I’m taking pictures!'” she said.
Loro handed the pictures she took to City of Miami Police.
Investigators did not provide a report but said they’re working the assault case.
“This was a creepy guy committing a sex crime, ” said Lora.
Area residents said she’s not the only victim.
Lora’s neighbor, Desiree Lasrado, said she this has been a recent and recurring problem in the area, and she’s been after city officials to do something about it.
“I’ve been beating the drum,” she said.
Lasrado showed 7News how she’s written to the city, county and commissioners, looking for help regarding safety around Bayfront Park and on the east side of downtown.
When asked whether she knows of other women who have been attacked recently, Lasrado replied, “Absolutely, all around the neighborhood.”
Tuesday morning, a victim did her part.
“I do not want to be deprived or scared to go out in my backyard,” said Lora.
If you have any information on this attack 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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