“Think That Would Stop Me From Attacking You?” Creep Threatens Tiktoker on Walk With Dog

If you've traversed the New York City subway system in recent years, you've probably witnessed some things that make you feel unsafe. And a growing number of women have reported that they're becoming warier and warier of public transportation.

One TikToker, Lilli (@lilli_higgins), must’ve hit home with a recent video titled "You really said that out loud, huh" which has, since its posting, racked up 2.2 million views.

In the clip, Lilli recounted an encounter she had while walking her dog, where a man commented on her pepper spray, saying, "Do you really think that would stop me from attacking you if I wanted to?"

Lilli’s response was straight to the point: "No, I don’t. And I know that it won’t. But, um, thanks for letting me know that in the creepiest way possible."

She went on to remind him — and her audience — of the tricks she had up her sleeve. "I do have a lot of skills and tools at my disposal to make sure that I can get myself out of situations that people like you put me into," she hit back.

She had a word of advice for anyone else who thinks making these types of comments to random strangers while they're out and about. "Next time you think of saying something like that out loud, just don’t. Maybe. Jeez Louise."

The comments section of Lilli's video erupted with rage at the man's remark. One person quipped, "No, but the handgun inside the bag would, don’t you think?" Another went full Dirty Harry, writing, "You should have taken it out and said, 'Do you want to find out?" Maybe adding in a, "Well, do ya, punk?" for good measure would've been a good idea.

Another was tired of stories like this: "All I needed was ‘recently I had a man come up to me.’ Immediately no." And then there was one who suggested upping the ante on the deterrents: "Fun fact: bear spray is apparently A LOT more painful and would be useful for woodland hikes."

So if you're thinking of carrying pepper spray, maybe look into purchasing some bear mace instead.

Just be aware of the possible legalities associated with carrying this self-defense item in your area.

Pepper spray, originally designed for personal protection, is legal in all 50 states but comes with restrictions depending on where you live. Some states regulate the strength of the spray, others limit the size of the canister. Bear spray, which is less concentrated but disperses a larger cloud, is technically intended for use against wildlife, so it could land you in some trouble if you use it for an off-label purpose.

Furthermore, statistics on women carrying these tools are very telling. Surveys indicate that a significant percentage of women carry pepper spray or similar devices for self-defense.

It would be nice if there no one was ever presented with the aforementioned question: "Do you really think that would stop me from attacking you if I wanted to?" Unfortunately, many women may only have the recourse to stare their would-be attacker down and say, "I don’t know, sir. Let’s test it out."