Self defense expert reacts to viral video of Florida woman fending off attacker

LAKE MARY - A video has been making the rounds on social media, showing a woman fighting off an attacker at a local gym. 

The video starts by the attacker standing outside the gym, signaling to be let inside, until Alma walks over and opens the door. He goes after her shortly after. 

The video shows Alma laying punch after punch on the man until she’s eventually able to get away.

"Don’t give up. Fight back. Be strong," she said after the attack. "You’re able to fight back and get out of this situation."

A self-defense expert, Victor Chin, who is also a firearms instructor at Confidence Shooting School in Lake Mary, said he was extremely impressed by the video. He says ideally, Alma wouldn’t have opened the door for the attacker – but he also says we’ve all done it. 

"Most of us have lived in apartments before, most of us have worked out alone at night, and this could happen to almost anyone. That’s why it touched me so much."

At one point, the video shows Alma running behind a bench, using it to gain some distance from her attacker so she can get away – something Chin says he teaches in self-defense courses. 

"The most impressive part of this video is that she did not give up the fight," added Chin.

Alma said to her, giving up wasn’t an option.

"If I keep going, if I keep pushing, if I keep fighting, he’s going to give up, he’s going to let go," she said, narrating her thoughts at the time. "And he finally did."