A 13-year-old girl from California successfully fought off an attacker on the street using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and managed to escape. Currently, the police are searching for the injured suspect.
According to local media ABC 7 on Saturday, authorities stated that about two weeks ago, a man in Carmel attempted to attack a 13-year-old girl, but she used her Jiu-Jitsu skills to repel him.
At the time, the girl was walking home from school when she suddenly faced a man who tried to physically assault her. She instinctively fought back, applying the Jiu-Jitsu techniques she had learned in class to real-life situations, which enabled her to fend off the attacker successfully.
It is reported that for three years, the girl has been studying Jiu-Jitsu with coach Michael Blackburn at the Carmel Youth Center.
Coach Blackburn told ABC 7 that as the girl was halfway home from school, a man suddenly appeared between two cars and then came out and punched her in the face.
“So she punched back, grabbed the suspect’s head with her arms, hit him with her knee, and then spun him around, causing him to fall to the ground,” the coach tried to recreate the scene.
“As she was doing these actions, she stepped on the suspect’s foot. When she threw the suspect to the ground, she broke his ankle,” the coach added.
The girl then safely ran back home. However, due to the attacker still being at large, her family and the police have requested to keep her identity anonymous.
Carmel police stated that they do not currently have any solid leads on the suspect but have released a sketch of the perpetrator.
Coach Blackburn expressed sadness hearing about his student facing such danger but also felt relieved that she knew how to defend herself.
He hopes that the story of this 13-year-old girl will serve as a reminder to other young women to acquire basic self-defense skills.