Louisiana State Police say a woman was able to wrest a sharp weapon from a sex offender who attacked her at a laundromat and fled the scene. to stab him to death.
The alleged attacker had been released from prison in December, just two and a half months before the attack.
St. Tammany Parish deputies said the incident began Sunday when 40-year-old Nicholas Tranchant entered a laundry room in the Lacombe neighborhood with a sharp weapon.
The man allegedly attacked a woman who was doing laundry, but the woman fought back and was able to wrest her weapon. She then stabbed him with the weapon.
When officers arrived, they thought she had been stabbed, but soon realized she was able to stab her attacker.
Tranchant was taken to a hospital, where he later died. The woman was also taken to the hospital and received treatment. She is expected to make a full recovery.
The alleged attacker was convicted of indecency with a juvenile in 2003 and later convicted of attempted aggravated rape and aggravated robbery in 2008.
WWL-TV report Tranchant, who lives less than a mile away from the laundromat according to his registered address, had met with parole officers 11 times. He was complying with the conditions of his release, according to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
Sheriff Randy Smith praised the victim’s courage in a statement.
“I would like to commend this brave woman for the courage and strength she showed in fighting back against her attacker and wish her continued recovery,” he said.
Gwen Batiste, resident of Lacombe; told WVUE-TV She had planned to go to the same laundromat at about the same time, but was late.
“I couldn’t get there because I was tied up. When I got there, I saw the police and everything and started hearing things,” she said. “I went to Mandeville. I felt it was safer to drive there in the middle of the night than to go here, which is less than a half-mile from my home.”
She says she worries about her granddaughter walking to school in the area.
“I understand everyone has spent their time, but if you hurt a woman or a child, you haven’t ‘done your time’ and that’s it,” she added. “This is so sad and we need to come together and get rid of pedophiles and sex offenders. It has become the norm here and it shouldn’t be.”
Details of this incident are as follows:
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