[music playing]
Scott wouldn't accept that the relationship was over.
One evening Joan had been at the mall when Scott attacked her,
choked her until she lost consciousness.
When she awoke, she was in an unfamiliar place, a house.
He kept her captive there for that evening.
[music playing]
Joan ran as fast as she could.
Found a house with a light on and started
banging on the window, hoping to raise
someone's attention inside.
[music playing]
It was around 8 o'clock.
And Ann heard a banging coming from the front window.
[tapping on glass]
She looked up to see a disheveled woman pounding and
screaming at her front window.
Ann had no idea who this woman was.
The woman inside did not let Joan in because she
had young children in the house and didn't know what
the circumstances were outside.
But she did call 9-1-1.
[music playing]
Please.
Please just let me in.
[music playing]
Let me in!
[inaudible]
[music playing]
Oh my God!
[music playing]
What I thought when I arrived was,
get some first aid done on this victim.
Stop as much bleeding as possible.
And get her shipped off to the hospital.
[music playing]
I spun around as quickly as I could.
And then I saw the knife in his hand.
That's when I realized that this is going to get really ugly.
His eyes were crazy.
I could read his body language and he meant business.
Come on.
Kill me.
Drop it now.
[music playing]
What are you waiting for?
[music playing]
[gunshots]
[music playing]
[phone rings]
When I saw him cross the street
and come over into her yard, I went into an immediate state
of panic.
I didn't actually ever see the knife.
I just felt an immediate pain, warm sensation.
I really did think that I was going to die that day.
He was yelling, shoot me, shoot me, shoot me.
I've already slashed my wrists.
He got within 12 feet of me.
And I yelled at him several times to drop the knife.
But at that point I had no choice.
[gunshots]
Wasn't a difficult decision to make.
It's something no police officer wants to do.
But I also believe that if you know that there's no other way
out, that you have to do this, it's
an easier thing to live with.
Joan didn't give up.
But she had to fight to get back to being what we call normal.
The most important thing that you
can do after a situation like this
is to not let it define you.
Move on, go on with your life.
And don't dwell on it.
[music playing]