LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WJW) – Vani Shukla, 24, knows the Rocky River Reservation well. It’s where she trains for races and clears her mind.
“I ran like I normally do when I go to the reservation. My friends have my location. Everyone knows when I’m running.”
But on Saturday evening, the trail she loves became the scene of a terrifying attack.
“It was around mile 17/18 when all of a sudden, out of the blue, I felt hands on my shoulders and someone was strangling me from behind my neck. I couldn’t even scream.”
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Vani, who is 5’10, said a large man wearing a hoodie and gloves grabbed her neck with both hands from behind near the 8 mile marker along the trail just before sundown, then threw her to the ground where she blacked out.
But not before putting up a fight.
“I tried to reach for my phone to like hit the power button because if you hit it a number of times, it will call 911, but I couldn’t breathe. He kept his hands on me and then he turned me around, slammed me on the pavement. He was down there too and his hands were still around my neck and I lost consciousness.”
When she came to roughly three minutes later, she ran through the woods for help. Disoriented and bleeding heavily, she managed to call 911 and then a friend who was supposed to meet her at the end of her run.
Metroparks police met her nearby and she was rushed to Fairview Hospital.
“What goes through your mind at the moment is like, ‘oh, this is how people die,’” she said.
The attack is also a horrific reminder of a double-homicide that happened along this very same trail back in 2019.
The Rocky River Reservation murders of Cornell Sledge and Katherine Brown remain unsolved.
Vani, who is a middle school music teacher in the Elyria City School District, said she was not aware of the murders.
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Still heavily medicated, recovering from a broken nose and bruises to her face, neck and arms, she said she is speaking out now, not just to share her story, but to warn others.
“I want people to be aware that it’s real and it can happen and to be safe and educated,” she said.
Vani was in the process of training for her first full marathon in Columbus next month and said despite her injuries, she still plans to participate.
In a statement of FOX 8, Metroparks police confirmed the attack. They said their thoughts go out to the victim and they are committed to bringing the person or persons responsible to justice.
Cleveland Metroparks police are also increasing patrols in the area.
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