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'He beat me like a man': Macon mother warns others after stranger beats her at gas station

Danielle Finney was about to fuel up her car when a man asked for her to buy a pack of cigars. When she refused, he attacked her.

MACON, Ga. — A Macon mother says a stranger asked for a pack of cigars at a gas pump before he assaulted her.

Danielle Finney says now she’s even scared to fuel up her car in the middle of the day in Macon. 

Finney says she drove to the Citgo at Bloomfield Road near 1 p.m. on Tuesday because they had cheaper gas. 

But, she says she never expected what happened next after she got out of the car. 

"He literally beat me like I was a man. He did," Finney said. 

Finney pointed out the marks left from the attack Tuesday. "[This is] where he threw me on the ground. My hands are messed up. My hips are swollen right here. He pulled out hair right here," Finney described to WMAZ's Ashlyn Webb. 

The mother of two says this man caught on surveillance was sitting in the middle of two gas pumps. 

Credit: Bibb County Sheriff's Office

"In the midst of me getting out of the car, he asked me could I buy him something out of the store... a Black & Mild," Finney said. "I told him I didn’t have the money."

Finney says she got back in her car to grab her keys. That’s when Finney says the man attacked her. 

"He just hit me," she said. 

Finney says she then tried to get away from the man and ran toward the front of the store. But, the man chased after her, attacking her again.. 

"He knocked me on the ground and went to beating me," Finney said. 

She says she cried for help and covered her face while the man continued punching her on the ground. Meanwhile, Finney says the store clerk locked the doors. So, when she was finally able to get away from the man, she couldn't take shelter close by, she said.  

"The clerk let a woman out. When I got to the door, she locked the door back. I was pulling on the door. I’m begging for help. I’m screaming for help. She didn't do anything," Finney said. 

Finney’s father, Alvin Sanford Sr., says what happened to his daughter should sound the alarm for others in Macon. 

"In the middle of the day, almost 1 o'clock in the daytime and someone attacks a young lady like that," Sanford said. "Where is Macon going from here? What does that say about our youth?"

Finney says she wants to warn other women to be aware of their surroundings. 

"Be safe. Lock your doors. If you see someone sitting at the gas pump, drive to another gas station. I don’t wish this on nobody. My children could have lost their mother yesterday," Finney said. 

13 WMAZ spoke to the store clerk Wednesday who Finney says wouldn't allow her to take cover in the store. She would not comment. 

If you have any information on the attack, contact Bibb County Sheriff's Office at 478-751-7500. 

Update: 

The man has since been arrested. 

You can read more about his arrest here.

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