Ms Nashali was exercising in the gym when Xavier Thomas-Jones attacked her.
A shocking video of an American woman being attacked by a stranger inside a gym is going viral online. The woman, who is a fitness model and social media influencer, is seen fighting off the attacker bravely and is gaining a lot of appreciation from all over the internet.
Nashali Alma, 24, was attacked by Xavier Thomas-Jones on January 22 while she was working out as regularly in the gym at the Inwood Park Apartment Complex in Tampa, according to a statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Ms. Nashali bravely defended herself from the attacker without cowering in fear, which resulted in the arrest of the perpetrator after he attempted to victimise another woman.
According to a video posted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on social media, Ms. Nashali first observed someone attempting to enter the gym through the door. She then unlocked the door and carried on with her workout, but after a short while, the perpetrator, Xavier Thomas-Jones, approached and made an attempt to capture her. He attempts to get Ms. Nashali to the ground, but she keeps fighting. After some time of fighting, the assailant finally gave up in the face of her bravery.
"As soon as he was approaching me, I pushed him. I said, Bro, what the F are you doing? Get away from me. Stop trying to touch me. He started chasing me around the bench, and we ended up on the other side of the gym," Nashali Alma, 24, said in the video posted to Instagram by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
"My advice would be to never give up, My parents always told me in life, to never give up on anything, and that's one thing I always kept in mind when I was fighting him," Ms. Nashali said.
Ms. Nashali is a regular gym goer and social media influencer, with several workout videos on her Instagram page.