00:00And I'm like, I know he's not doing what I think he's doing.
00:02And so when I looked over, yeah, he was playing with himself, had it out, had touched me with it.
00:11A Walmart encounter. That is nothing short of disgusting.
00:15A woman says that she was buying tea when a man sexually assaulted her.
00:20Tonight, she's sharing her story only with FOX 13.
00:23Good evening, everyone, and thank you so much for joining us tonight. I'm Darcy Thomas.
00:26FOX 13's Mandy Rock joins us live outside of the Walmart on Austin Peay Highway.
00:32Mandy, the victim told you that she is speaking out to warn others.
00:38Yeah, that's right, Darcy.
00:39Annie, who we are only identifying by her first name to protect her privacy,
00:43says this all happened yesterday afternoon in broad daylight inside this Walmart.
00:49She said there were employees, cameras, and even security nearby,
00:52but none of that stopped a man from allegedly following her through the aisles.
00:56And then sexually assaulting her.
01:00That's very nasty, disgusting, degrading.
01:03You should not be doing things like this.
01:05It should have been a normal afternoon shopping trip,
01:08searching for tea for her boyfriend,
01:10until Annie says she noticed a young man watching her.
01:14I went down another aisle, and the next thing I know,
01:17he's right there near me again.
01:19And I'm like, is he following me?
01:21Every move she made, he followed.
01:24Then she says things escalated.
01:26So I happened to be overlooking for the teas,
01:29and I felt the slightest graze on the back of me.
01:33And so when I looked over, yeah, he was playing with himself,
01:38had it out, had touched me with it.
01:40How disgusting.
01:42Annie says she immediately went into flight or fight mode.
01:45And my mind was just like, get away from him.
01:48So I took off walking really fast.
01:51She flagged down an employee and says the suspect ran off
01:55when he realized she was reporting him.
01:57They called police, but she says the man had already left the store.
02:01After filing a police report, Annie says officers reviewed surveillance video.
02:05They pulled the cameras up, looked back,
02:08seen that it actually happened.
02:10So they're aware of who it is.
02:11She hopes by speaking out, the suspect is caught and gets the help he needs.
02:17And she wants anyone who experiences something similar to do what she did.
02:22Please report it.
02:23Please, please report it to somebody.
02:25That way it gets out here, it gets out to the public.
02:28People know, they know what to watch for.
02:31And so it kind of helps make the place a little safer for everyone.
02:39And Annie says she also wants to share her story,
02:41to be a reminder to pay attention to your surroundings
02:44and to speak up if something doesn't feel right.
02:47And we did reach out to Walmart for a statement on this encounter,
02:50but we're still waiting to hear back.
02:51Darcy?
02:52That is Fox 13's Mandy Rock, live at the Walmart off of Austin Peay Highway.
02:56Thank you so much, Mandy.
02:57Thank you so much.
