Texas Woman Uses Keys To Defend Herself Against Violent Attack, And Is Now Raising Awareness

Jessica Collins, a 27-year-old woman and mother, successfully defended herself against an attacker in Amarillo, Texas, by using her keys as a weapon. Jessica was at her apartment complex when she went to her car at 2:30 in the morning to retrieve her phone charger. As KPRC Houston reported on June 2, Jessica Collins was carrying her keys with one of them in-between her knuckles (a method of defense that she learned when she was younger from a woman’s self-defense video). As Jessica closed her car door and turned around a man punched her in the face — but she was ready. She said that she was fearful, and that her first thought was to punch him and run to safety and that’s exactly what she did. Using her smarts and instinct, Collins quickly returned the punch with a right hook of her own and the attacker fled while holding his neck. Jessica then ran into her apartment and called 911.

But Jessica Collins wanted her experience to make a difference; so she took a picture of her battered face, and the bloody key, and posted it on Facebook. With 10,000 likes and almost 40,000 shares (and climbing), her post is going viral. In her Facebook post, Jessica states that she wants to raise awareness of violent crimes so that other women can be prepared. She’s advising them to do what she was taught (carrying a key in-between her knuckles). Jessica stated that she wants people to be safe, and to please share the post to raise awareness and possibly save a life.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=242614852906311&id=100014733931674

It’s important to have situational awareness no matter what time of day it is, as violent crime doesn’t just happen at night. In fact, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 57.6 percent of violent crimes occur between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. And just like Jessica Collins’ incident, most of them happen near or at the victim’s residence. The majority of sexual assaults, about 64 percent, happen at night and, like violent crimes, usually near or at the victim’s home.

So it’s important to remember, just like Jessica is bravely teaching others by publicly sharing her story, always be aware and prepared.

[Featured Image by Dean Drobot/Shutterstock]