Lafayette Police Arrest Man Who Attempted to Rape, Murder Woman After Jumping Into Her Car at Gas Station

Nearly one month after a Lafayette woman shared a horrible experience involving an attempted rape and first-degree murder, Lafayette Police have arrested the man they believe to be responsible.

According to a report from KLFY News 10, Lafayette Police Spokesperson Sgt. Robin Green said 19-year-old Damonta Anderson of Opelousas was arrested Tuesday (6/21) and has been charged with one count of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Green says that Anderson was also charged with one count of first-degree rape. At least one of the charges stems from an incident unrelated to a story we shared with you back on May 27 but the man responsible for that nightmare is now behind bars at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center with a bond of $1.1M

Due to the ongoing investigation, the story we shared didn't have many specific details at the time but the victim took to social media to warn others about what happened to her on a night that she will never forget.

One of the most haunting details she shared in the original story (that we have provided in full below) is the man who snuck into her car while she was pumping fuel at a Moss Street gas station and held a gun to her head as she drove off told her that he had been following her on Instagram.

When the female victim recalled that moment she remembers the suspect who has now been identified as Damonta Anderson telling her that “dudes like him don’t get a chance to be with girls like me.”

The story escalated from there and fortunately, after being pistol-whipped and told that she would have to sleep with the man if she wanted to be let go, the woman was brave enough to jump out of a moving vehicle in order to get away from her abuser—a desperate decision that probably saved her life.

Lafayette Police carefully connected details from the woman's social media post with weeks of reviewing surveillance video related to the alleged incident. After gathering that information and "speaking with multiple people," Sgt. Green says that law enforcement was able to pinpoint Anderson as the suspect they believed was responsible for the harrowing experience that an innocent young woman was barely able to escape.

According to the KLFY report, Anderson was arrested without incident.

ORIGINAL STORY (5/27/22):

One local woman is sharing a horrifying experience that she hopes will help to save someone else's life.

The woman (who shall remain nameless) shared her message via social media claiming that she was "terrified" and "scared for her life" after a traumatic incident that started when she was at a local gas station to put fuel in her vehicle.

After she finished fueling up and paying for her gas, she re-entered her vehicle and was surprised by a man with a gun who somehow got into her car during the process of filling up her car.

She says the man put a gun to her head and instructed her to "keep driving" and continue to follow his commands or he would kill her. The man also demanded money and told the woman that in order for him to let her go, she would have to "sleep with him."

Perhaps one of the most chilling parts of her entire story would come next. The man told her that he had been watching her Instagram account and that "dudes like him" don't get a chance to be with girls like her.

At that point, she claims the man began to hit her with his gun and demanded that she pull her vehicle over. She told him that she was going to drive to a nearby park to pull over. Instead of pulling into the park, the woman had another plan.

Once she was near her grandmother's house, she jumped out of the vehicle in an attempt to escape the nightmarish situation when the man began to fight. He jumped into the driver's seat and drove her vehicle into a house. She says he shot up her grandmother's home multiple times while crashing her car.

Her message has been shared numerous times on social media across multiple platforms as women (and men) in Lafayette are being warned of what could easily happen to them in similar situations.

Never in her "wildest dreams" did she ever think this could happen to her, but now she's telling other females to be careful with what they're putting on social media considering that predators like her attacker could be waiting for an opportunity to do the same thing to them.

She says the man claims to have raped several women over the last week in situations almost identical to the one she was in. I have to imagine that if it wasn't for her bravery and quick thinking, she could easily be a statistic just like others who weren't so fortunate.

The woman reiterated that her attacker's plan was to rape and kill her, reminding everyone to lock their doors and remain vigilant in vulnerable situations.

Anyone with information that could be helpful in her situation or to share anything suspicious that may feel similar to this situation is encouraged to reach out to Lafayette Police at 337-281-8600.

This woman managed to survive this horrible situation, but the next person may not be so lucky.