A local woman is speaking out about a scary situation in hopes that it will make others be more aware of their surroundings.

Last week, around 10 p.m., Katie Cooke said she was leaving her parents’ Opp home on Woodham Circle to travel back to Andalusia.

“Coming up to make a left turn on Fourth Street off of Woodham Circle, I came to the stop sign and noticed two black men in their 20s – 30s walking up the road to my right,” she said. “As I got closer to the stop sign, they noticed my car and one (wearing darker clothing) ran out in front of my vehicle and blocked my path.

“To my right, the second man was waving his hands at me and trying to talk to me as he approached my passenger door like he was going to try to open it,” she said. “My first thought was of my gun tucked between my seat and console. I could’ve reached it, but my best option was to aim for the guy in front of me and hit the gas.”

Cooke said once the person realized she “meant business” and was “going to run him over if he didn’t get out of my way, he darted off.”

“I have no idea where the second guy went and I didn’t care,” she said.

Cooke posted her story to her Facebook account, but said that even though she called the police, she wanted to share her story, so that “everyone knows to be very aware of your surrounding at all times – day or night. But, especially at night.”

“It’s harder to see things like this in the dark until you end up in this situation,” she said. “I have no idea what these men were trying to accomplish and I hope to never find out. But even in a small town like Opp, these things happen.”