FOX 11's Marla Tellez chased, nearly attacked in broad daylight; How to keep yourself safe

Good Samaritan saves Marla Tellez from man who was chasing her down

Marla Tellez had an emotional reunion with the Good Samaritan who pulled her out of a terrifying situation where a man was chasing down the FOX 11 anchor while she was out on her daily run.

LOS ANGELES - I've been running for almost 30 years. I've run thousands of miles, most alone. Nothing has ever happened, until recently. It was the most frightening experience of my life.

It's something I recently shared with you on my social media, and it turns out it's an experience many of you can relate to, so I set out to learn how we can better protect ourselves.

It was a late Saturday morning in January. I was running along the very busy Santa Monica Boulevard, approaching the Century City Mall, when I was nearly attacked and then chased down.

A young man, about 20 years old, shirtless, was walking westbound against traffic while I was running westbound on the sidewalk. He made his way to the sidewalk just as I was running by. That's when he lunged at me. I dodged him and continued running west, with increasing adrenaline and tremendous fright.

How to keep yourself safe in the event of an attack

In January, FOX 11's Marla Tellez was chased down by a man while she was out on a run. Since the incident she's gotten to know several women who help teach others about self-defense.

I picked up my pace, thinking I was in the clear, but my intuition told me otherwise. I turned around, and sure enough, he was sprinting toward me. I picked up my pace even more — he did too. That's when I saw a good Samaritan in a passing vehicle flagging me down.

She was in the passenger seat. Her husband was behind the wheel. They pulled over, I jumped in and we drove off.

"I saw him turn around and then run after you. I was trying to scream at you to get your attention to get you to see me," said Natalie, the woman I now call my guardian angel.

I recently reconnected with Natalie, who was still rattled as she recalled to me the first time what she witnessed.

"It was so scary to see," she said. "I just felt like you needed help."

But what if Natalie hadn't helped me that day? That's where the "two Jens" enter the story —Kenpo Karate instructor Jen Franklin and the woman dubbed "Stun Gun Jen," Jennifer Lester.

Stun Gun Jen is known for her purple and teal hair, the colors associated with raising awareness for domestic violence and sexual assault. She's a safety trainer and representative with "Damsel in Defense," a group designed to educate, protect and equip women with non-lethal devices, like personal alarms, pepper spray and stun guns. Stun guns are legal to carry and use in California for anyone 18 and older, as long as you haven't been convicted of a felony.

Trying one was a first for me.

"It causes extreme pain," Lester said, adding that in many cases, just brandishing it is enough to get a would-be attacker to back off.

Another effective method — palm strikes.

Franklin, a second degree black belt, teaches a women's self-defense class in Norwalk at Z-Ultimate. She showed me a few moves that all began with a wide, stable stance. Franklin said fighting back verbally is also key to maintaining a steady breath.

Whether you're arming yourself with techniques or devices, they're all tools that could one day save your life: moves I wish I knew that late January morning.

Knowing them now, I feel more empowered and even more grateful for my guardian angel Natalie.

More information on "the Jens" and what they teach can be found at stungunjen.com and embodiedpaths.com.