Lafayette Runner Harassed During Park Run, She Was Able to Get Away
(Lafayette, LA.) - Danger can happen anywhere, and that sentiment was driven home in full force for a Lafayette woman after a harrowing experience in a local park while she was running.
Whether it's a neighborhood, a store parking lot, or a park, it's imperative that we stay aware of our surroundings. We had the chance to speak to the woman this happened to.
Lafayette Runner Shares Frightening Experience
Taylor Arceneaux filed a report with the Lafayette Police Department after a man on a bicycle began to verbally harass her and tried to trip her while she was running on Sunday afternoon.
Arceneaux says it's not about scaring anyone, but reminding people to always be aware of their surroundings and to trust their gut.
Lafayette Runner Describes Terrifying Encounter in Social Media Post
When Arceneaux's story appeared on social media Sunday evening, it was rapidly shared. It's an extremely frightening thing that happened to her. She wrote, in part,
After about 100 feet, the man had turned his bike around and came up behind me, trying to startle me and block my path. He began saying vulgar things and made attempts to trip me.
While running in Moncus Park, near a neighborhood in the back, she was just returning to the sidewalk path when a man on a bicycle came from the opposite direction.
Arceaneaux tells us the man then came up on the side of her while riding his bike and started yelling at her, "let's make out", and she says some other vulgar suggestions as well.
Lafayette Runner Who Was Harassed Says Always Trust Your Instincts
The 29-year-old woman says the minute he approached her, she had a gut feeling this was not going to go well. Arceneaux says she kept running and began to run faster when the man would pull his bicycle in front of her, trying to trip her.
READ MORE: ELDERLY WOMAN IN LOUISIANA RAPED, POLICE SEARCHING FOR SUSPECT.
She kept running to get to someone for help. Arceneaux told us she knew what would happen if she didn't get away; she saw it in the man's eyes. She says it registered to this man that she was isolated and alone. She wasn't having any of it.
Runner Targeted By Man Says She Started Screaming To Get People's Attention
She says when she saw people, she started screaming, and finally, the man on the bicycle started to back off. She continued to scream that she needed help. Others came near her, and park employees rode up on a golf cart. She was finally able to call 911. Unfortunately, officers were unable to locate the man who harassed Arceneaux.
In her Facebook post, Arceneaux says just before her run around 6:20 p.m. Sunday night, she was on the phone with her father, who reminded her to stay aware. He told her, "Be aware of your surroundings." In her post, she told her dad, "There's so many people here today, no one would try anything." That was not what happened, obviously, at the back of the park.
Lafayette Police Officers Remind Everyone to Pay Attention to Your Surroundings
In speaking with Lafayette Police Department Spokeswoman Robin Green, she says Arceneaux did so many things right. She trusted her gut, kept running, screamed for help, and reported the situation to the police.
Green reminds everyone of the importance of paying attention to their surroundings, no matter what.
Arceneaux says while this was a harrowing situation, she is glad it ended the way it did, with her getting away and finding help.
In her Facebook post, she shares the following, in part,
I was raised by a family who taught me to be aware, quick on my feet, and use my voice. I screamed as loud as I could and kept running toward the park. The second I started yelling, he took off.
I’m sharing this not to cause panic, but to remind people how real this is. This happened in broad daylight, on a Sunday, with tons of people around and he still tried.
You never think you’ll be the one posting something like this, but today it happened to me.
I’m an avid runner at Moncus Park in Lafayette, and today was a Sunday with tons of people there. Ironically, before I even started my run I was on the phone with my dad saying I almost didn’t want to run because of how crowded it was. Before we hung up he said, “Be aware of your surroundings.” I laughed and joked back, “There’s so many people here today, no one would try anything.”Well… I was wrong.Part of my run takes me through the neighborhood behind Moncus. As I was running back toward the park, a man on a bike was heading into the neighborhood. We made eye contact and I don’t know how to explain it other than women’s intuition, but instantly something felt off.I kept running.Normally I run with one earbud in and one out, but today I had both in (I knew better). After about 100 feet, the man had turned his bike around and came up behind me, trying to startle me and block my path. He began saying vulgar things and made attempts to trip me.We were in a stretch with no one around, and he knew it.I had maybe a 30–45 second run to get back to where people were, and I’m sure he expected me to freeze or stay quiet.But I didn’t.I was raised by a family who taught me to be aware, quick on my feet, and use my voice. I screamed as loud as I could and kept running toward the park. The second I started yelling, he took off.I made it back to the park and was able to alert park rangers, and police were called, but unfortunately they weren’t able to locate him.I’m sharing this not to cause panic, but to remind people how real this is. This happened in broad daylight, on a Sunday, with tons of people around and he still tried.If you run, walk, or know someone who does, please keep your location on, carry pepper spray, keep one earbud out, and trust your intuition.It’s sad that as women we even have to think about these things, but situations like today are exactly why we do.
Please stay aware and stay safe.
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