Police are on the lookout for a man accused of exposing himself to a woman on a dark running trail at Piedmont Park, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, told Channel 2 the man was holding a large wooden staff when she encountered him early Tuesday morning.
“He was hiding in the shadows but on the path,” she said. “I was terrified.”
The married mother was on a run about 6:30 a.m. with her local running club and got ahead of the group. As she slowed to a walk, she came around a dark, wooded corner.
“He was standing there holding (the staff) with one hand and had himself exposed,” she said. “I had a lot of thoughts in my head. I thought, 'He’s going to hit me over the head, I’ll be rendered unconscious, and drug into the woods and raped.’”
She took off running, she said, looking for an emergency call box so she could alert police. She never found one and instead got into her car and returned home to call 911.
The woman later contacted Piedmont Park and learned there are no call boxes in the park, the news station reported.
"To have a park that opens that early and closes that late, you ought to have some safety measures that go beyond lighting," she said.
She posted her experience to the Nextdoor social network, and several other people said they have seen the same man at the park, according to Channel 2.
RELATED: Lawrenceville police now using Nextdoor to monitor crime
Atlanta police confirmed to the news station they will be increasing patrols in the park until the man is found. So far, they have not received any other reports or a description of him.
About the Author
