VANCOUVER, Wash. — The runner who took down a sexual assailant at Seattle's Golden Gardens Park in 2017 has done it again. Kelly Herron reported on her Twitter feed that a man groped her while running a half-marathon in Vancouver, Wash.
>> RELATED: Woman fights off would-be attacker in Golden Gardens restroom
Herron broke from the route and chased down the man until a “good Samaritan wrangled him.” The police were called and Herron reports the suspect was arrested.
Herron says after she “took another creep off the street,” she got back onto the race course and “still made a 02:15 finish.”
Herron has become a proponent of self-defense classes for women after she was attacked in 2017. She has been vocal about the issues women and runners face in areas such as Seattle. After another runner was assaulted near Green Lake earlier this month, Herron said that Seattle isn't listening to women about the dangers they face in the city.
In March 2017, Herron was attacked while running in Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park. She went into a park restroom where Gary Steiner, a transient sex offender from Arizona, attempted to rape her. Steiner had hid in the restroom with the intention of raping a woman.
Scroll down to continue reading
More news from KIRO 7
- Loved ones remember mother, daughter killed in DUI crash on SR 18
- Fire causes evacuation of Suncadia Lodge
- More than 2,000 take part in 'Out of Darkness' walk at Seattle Center
- Bellevue residents believe coyotes are killing their pets
- Do you have an investigative story tip? Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com
But Herron fought back, kicking and screaming. People outside the restroom heard her screams and called 911. She was able to escape the attack and locked Steiner in the bathroom.
Steiner was convicted of the crime and sent to prison for a three-year sentence. More than a year after the assault, he died in prison.
