NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two Nashville women took the stand on Friday, reliving one of their worst nightmares as they shared their stories of escaping brutal attacks, earlier this month.
The man accused of the crimes, 27-year-old Deontez Drew, is a registered sex offender.
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Facing their attacker was difficult but both identified Drew as the man responsible.
One of the victims, a 23-year-old woman, says she was walking home after a night of work on Broadway around 3 a.m. when she was attacked near 8th Avenue and Gleaves Street.
"He took me by the neck and threw me on the ground and knocked me over," she said. "By the time I tried to stand up, he already had me in a chokehold and my feet were dragging."
The victim recalled being dragged into an alley, where the suspect pulled out a knife and demanded she perform unwanted sexual acts. She was eventually able to de-escalate the situation.
"By the time I got to my corner, I noticed a car could see us, and then I just went back into my place," she said.
Later that day, around 2 p.m., a 39-year-old woman claimed Drew attacked her in the hallway of her Pine Street Flats apartment, in the Gulch.
"I dropped my dog off and was going downstairs to let management know there was someone there giving me bad vibes in the building, and I didn’t think he was supposed to be there," she testified.
She remembered encountering Drew again, at which point she was struck with a wooden baseball bat.
"The force was so strong that the moment he hit me, I couldn’t feel anything on this side of my head, and I couldn’t see because of the blood," she said.
A neighbor, who also testified, described how she encountered Drew after the attack. She followed him downstairs, out the front door, and followed him outside. She didn't want him to get away.
The neighbor explained how the community helped apprehend Drew.
"All of the citizens that had gathered while I was chasing him cornered him in a parking lot until police showed up," she said.
Police say Drew committed these crimes shortly after being released from a facility in Hardeman County. He is currently facing charges including attempted aggravated rape and attempted criminal homicide.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
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