He groped a jogging woman. When she pulled out a knife, he was the one running, police say

She told police she always takes a small knife with her when she goes on runs. Early Friday morning, she needed it.

The Salt Lake City, Utah woman was jogging at 6 a.m. on Nov. 10 when a man allegedly came up behind her and groped her, Salt Lake City police spokesman Greg Wilking said at a press conference Tuesday.

But the man who allegedly groped her probably wasn’t expecting what happened next: His target pulled out a small knife, and then used it to stab him several times as he tried to grab her, police said.

Then the man turned and fled on foot, she told police, heading to a nearby bus stop. The woman didn’t let him get away just yet, though.

“She gave chase for a little bit, and then decided to go back home and make the report to police,” Wilking said.

The woman, who police said is between 40 and 50, described her attacker as a “physically fit” white man of average height and weight – about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and about 150 pounds. He was between 15 and 30 years old, she said. He was carrying a backpack and wearing a gray sweatshirt.

The suspect might also have “small wounds” on his arms, chest and legs from the stabbing, police said.

“This wasn’t a large knife, so we’re not sure what happened to the suspect,” Wilking said at the press conference. “Right now we don’t know of any reports of him coming to a hospital to receive treatment.”

The incident occurred in the Liberty Wells neighborhood of Salt Lake City, ABC 4 reports.

While police said they don’t advise anyone to necessarily do the same thing in that situation, they said Tuesday that she defended herself well and was “clearly prepared” in case something like this happened. Police also said that the groping could have led a lot more.

“If you have somebody that actually goes up and makes physical contact with you in that manner, the thought in your head is – yeah, that will go further,” Wilking said.

Wilking encouraged anyone with information on the suspected attacker to come forward.

“We certainly don’t want to have another incident like this, and we would like to get this person identified and off the street,” Wilking said.

Police are testing the woman’s knife for DNA, they said at the press conference.

“She definitely has some resolve,” Wilking said of the jogger. “She wants this guy apprehended.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 8:44 PM with the headline "He groped a jogging woman. When she pulled out a knife, he was the one running, police say."