Victim describes frightening attack in home

Tyreze Littlejohn, 27, charged with burglary, assault and battery

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Northwest Jacksonville woman who says she fought off her sister's attacker with a baseball bat spoke with News4Jax about the frightening attack in their apartment.

The woman said Tyreze Littlejohn, 27, forced his way in Monday and then assaulted her sister.

Katlyn said she had no other choice than to grab a baseball bat that just happened to be in the living room, and use it to protect her sister, who police say was assaulted against her will.

“He just slams the door on me, bam! I hit this and fall back on the stairs and he just goes straight into my kitchen," said Katlyn.

That's when Katlyn said she and her sister endured, the worst thing that they've ever experienced in their life.  She says after forcing his way into their apartment, Littlejohn tried to push her sister upstairs, while trying to take off all her clothes. 

“He’s standing here, just starts ripping her skirt off, ruining her panties, and Kelsey's trying to fight him back and he's a big guy, huge guy. Kelsey's trying to fight him back and I didn't know what to do, so I'm sitting over here and I'm like panicking. I'm like shaking, freaking to the point of mad crying," Katlyn said.

Katlyn told News4Jax she and her sister had met Littlejohn only once in their neighborhood in passing, and didn't even know his name. Now, she said, that same man forced his way into their apartment and tried to assault her sister. Shaking and in a panic, Katlyn said she noticed a baseball bat, that just happened to be sitting next to the front door.

“I ran right past him, ran right past him and grab the bat and I just hit him as hard as I could across his head right here. It didn't even phase him. He ran towards the door and I'm following him the whole way out hitting him. Bam, bam, get out! Get out of my house!" She said.

Katlyn said she kept hitting Littlejohn with the bat as he ran out of the apartment and to his truck. She said that's when he grabbed what she thought was a gun from the passenger door.

"So I run from him, and hide by my husband's van and say ‘Please, please, just please don't shoot me. Just leave, I've got three small kids, just leave! Get out of my house, go please!' My sister heard me, and runs out of the house butt naked. He had all her clothes off of her. (Her sister said) ‘Shoot me. Just take me. She's got kids. I'm not a mom, just take me!’" Katlyn said.

Katlyn said Littlejohn went back into her house and stole her identification, her wallet, some money and he threw her phone into another yard before leaving.

Littlejohn checked himself into Shands Hospital with head and shoulder injuries from the baseball bat strikes.

Police charged him with burglary of a dwelling, assault and battery.

News4Jax discovered this wasn’t Littlejohn's first arrest. There are the mugshots from six of his 13 prior run-ins with the law, including arrests for carrying a concealed firearm, grand theft, knowingly operating a vehicle with driver licenses suspended, canceled, or revoked, possession of marijuana, grand theft retail, dealing in stolen property, trespassing on school grounds, trespassing on property or defies order to leave or endangers property, reckless driving and theft of  a motor vehicle.


About the Author:

Emmy-nominated journalist Kristin Cason joined the News 6 team in June 2016.