AUSTIN, Texas — Neighbors say one man is responsible for a number of brutal assaults on women near the Barton Creek Greenbelt off of South Lamar – and he's still out there.
KVUE heard exclusively from one of the victims, who wanted to conceal her identity because she said her attacker is still on the loose.
"I've never felt unsafe going on a walk in this neighborhood," she said.
That was until the woman said she was attacked on May 3.
"A few minutes into my walk, walking down Rabb Road, a man comes up the hill on Wilkie. He rounds the corner. I thought, 'Oh, this doesn't look good,'" she said. "He accelerated, lunged at me and took his arm, swung, swung out, and then just punched me and, you know, aimed right at my temple and punched me so hard. I look up and he's standing over me like this, and he's ready to throw more punches or drag me, rape me and kill me."
She said she was able to get up and run as he chased her, until a neighbor came to her rescue.
"The attacker stopped dead in his tracks, and when he heard the neighbor's voice, and then he fled down the hill," she said.
Michael Bullock, the president of Austin's police union, said these types of attacks are happening more often.
"I've worked that area personally on patrol, working night shift and assaults, you know, people being assaulted, just going about their daily lives ... Unfortunately doesn't seem like it's becoming uncommon these days," Bullock said.
Bullock said even if police make an arrest, the suspect may not stay in jail.
"When someone's released, that is something that is beyond APD's control. That's something that falls with prosecutors and judges," Bullock said.
The victim said she has cuts and bruises across her legs, head and other areas.
She agrees with Bullock, saying APD has been a big help for her along the way, but that her attacker must stay in jail. She said it's triggering to see him walk freely.
"It is incumbent upon the judicial system to keep this guy off the street," she said. "He tried to kill me in an instant."