Baltimore woman says late-night home intruder was an "immediate kind of terror"

A woman in Baltimore's Bolton Hill community described the harrowing moments she fended off an intruder who broke into her home and stood over her in her bedroom early Friday morning.

Rachel Cooper, 30, said she's lived in the neighborhood for a few years and never experienced anything like this before. 

Intruder allegedly climbed into her bed

Before going to bed, Cooper said she always checks to make sure the front and back doors are locked. She said she heard a noise around 3 a.m. on Friday. Initially, she thought it was her cat.

When she called his name, the cat didn't appear. Instead, a shadowy figure moved in her room, which turned out to be an intruder.

"It was just sort of like, you know, immediate kind of terror," Cooper said.

She said the man moved closer to her, lit a cigarette, and said he wasn't going to rape her. Cooper explained she sat there terrified and didn't want to make any sudden movements.

Later, he began to touch her, even climbing on top of her in bed, according to Cooper. She also said he pressed his face up against her. He threatened to shoot her, but she said she didn't know if he was armed.

"I was just kind of trying to edge away and keep some distance between us. He said, 'Don't make me shoot you,'" Cooper said. "When I felt like I had a chance, I just kind of slid away across the bed and ran for the door as fast as I could."

Scared him off with a decorative dagger

At the door, she says there was a brief physical struggle. That's when she reached for a decorative dagger hanging on her wall, which she used to scare the man off.

"I brandished it at him, as I was chasing him down the stairs," Cooper recalled.

Dramatic doorbell camera video shows the moment the man ran out of her home, and Cooper can be heard screaming in the background.

She said the yelling woke up her housemate, who called the police. Investigators took fingerprints and other evidence at the scene, according to Cooper.

Cooper's home is equipped with several cameras and a silent alarm at some windows and doors. She believes the intruder may have come in from the roof or the back of the house. 

She said now she has alarms at every point of entry and window. She's also added padlocks to her home.

Baltimore police are investigating

The intruder is still on the run, and Baltimore City police are investigating. 

Cooper said he was wearing black sneakers with white soles, a dark colored jacket, light-colored pants, and glasses that may be missing a lens.

Cooper said it will take her time to feel safe in her own home again, but that she doesn't plan on leaving the neighborhood. Her message to others who may be victims of crimes, especially women, is that you are stronger than you think.

Her message to her attacker was clear; don't mess with her again.

"I'm not a sitting duck. I'm not a victim. and don't try it again, because I have the knife under my pillow now, and you won't get as far," Cooper said.

Anyone with information about the intruder is asked to call the police.

Learning to fight off attackers

Recently at work, Cooper completed counter-threat training. The online course teaches people how to fend off an attacker and call for help. She believes this was top of mind when the attacker broke into her home.

"I never saw myself as a brave person, and I think it was very much an instinct of it's this or just lie here passively. And I don't, I never wanted to be a passive person," Cooper said.

Bolton Hill neighbors react

Neighbors called her actions courageous.

"That sounds really scary. I really don't know how I would react," neighbor Sophia Garcia said. "I'm impressed she was able to fight him off again. I don't think I'd be able to do that."

Although quiet, neighbors said this community isn't immune to crime, but something like this is rare there. They worry the suspect could still be here.

"I do think that certain people with criminal intentions case the joint. I've heard the police say that that there are people who observe very carefully," neighbor John McLucas said.