The woman escaped behind a dumpster and called 911 as the driver continued pursuing her through an apartment parking lot.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A driver tried three times to hit a woman with a vehicle as she exercised Sunday morning at a Cobb County apartment complex, forcing her to take cover behind a dumpster and call 911, police said.
The confrontation began at Sedgefield Apartments after the woman greeted a man she did not know, according to Cobb County police. Investigators said the man then entered a vehicle and drove toward her in the parking lot. Authorities have identified the driver as Jesse Davis but have not publicly explained what prompted the alleged attack.
Sgt. Eric Smith, a Cobb County Police Department spokesperson, said the driver first attempted to strike the woman after getting into the vehicle. The woman ran behind a dumpster to avoid being hit, but police said the driver made two more attempts to reach her with the vehicle.
The woman remained behind the dumpster while contacting emergency dispatchers, investigators said. No information about injuries to the woman was included in the initial public account, and police did not release her name.
The driver later struck a parked car and crashed into a pole, police said. Authorities did not provide details about the amount of property damage or say whether anyone else was injured in the collisions.
A neighbor, Lloydethan White, said he saw the vehicle speeding through the apartment community and believed it nearly struck both his car and the woman. White said he checked on her but did not initially understand the full extent of what she had experienced.
White said he was disturbed that an ordinary morning workout had turned into a situation in which the woman feared for her life. His account supported the police description of a vehicle moving dangerously through an area shared by residents, parked cars and pedestrians.
Police described the episode as an apparently unprovoked encounter that followed a brief greeting. Investigators had not publicly identified a motive as of Thursday, and the available police account did not indicate that Davis and the woman knew each other before the incident.
Authorities also had not released information about possible criminal charges, Davis’ custody status or the next court proceeding. The investigation’s current status and any additional evidence collected at the apartment complex were not immediately available.
Author note: Last updated July 30, 2026.