CLACKAMAS, Oregon — Two teenagers who tried to assault a young woman as she walked on a path in Clackamas abruptly realized they were messing with the wrong person – she’s been training in martial arts for most of her life.
Priscilla Dang has been studying the craft for 18 years, mastering Kung Fu with help from her older brothers.
“We were always learning as a kid, go for the face, go for the neck,” she said.
She put those skills to work on the Padden Parkway Path when she was out for a run and two teens on bikes confronted her.
“One went in front and made eye contact with me, and made a smirk,” she said. “I thought he was just saying hi, so I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ The next thing I knew, I was pretty much groped on my bottom behind, left side.”
She let the stranger know that wasn’t OK.
“So I grabbed him and pretty much just said, ‘You need to apologize,’ and he did; he was like, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’” she said.
The situation escalated, though, when the second teen started swearing at her.
“It just made something snap in me, like it’s not OK. It’s so disrespectful,” Dang said.
That’s when her Kung Fu background really kicked in – she punched him twice in the face.
“He started coming in for a few and I was lucky enough to dodge his…shots,” she said. “I came up for another one, and I got him good and I think that upset him.”
Dang said after the second hit, the teen whipped out a four-inch blade.
“That was when my instinct came in,” she said. “I was like, ‘OK, back off. Don’t get so close because he might grab me.’”
Two people saw the confrontation and called 911. Dang wasn’t hurt, but she said she thinks the attackers definitely got the message.
“I think they knew they messed with the wrong girl,” she said.
The suspects are 18 and 16 years old. The 16-year-old was released to his parents, and the 18-year-old was arrested.