WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) – Officials applaud a Polk County woman’s actions during an overnight attack in her apartment while her three small children were home.

“Kudos to her for keeping her head about herself,” said Jamie Brown, the public information officer with the Winter Haven Police Department.

Police say Wednesday night, a woman called 911. She didn’t speak but dispatchers could hear glass being shattered.

Officers were sent to Abbey Lane Apartments where they discovered a shaken up woman with injuries to her face.

She told officers Rahsann Eaton, 33, had broken into her apartment by shattering a glass window. She called 911 and hid with her three small children upstairs.

When Eaton found her, police say, he punched her several times in the face.

“He grabbed the phone from her and he saw that she had dialed 911,” said Brown. “Ultimately he got a knife and put it to her throat and threatened to kill her.”

The victim was able to get the knife away from Eaton, ran back upstairs and threw the knife out of the upstairs window, according to police.

Eaton, who had sustained an injury from the broken glass, used the victim’s shirt to wrap his injury and fled.

The woman and children went to a family member’s home. Eaton returned to the apartment, where he was arrested at around 2:20 Thursday morning.

“They gained entry into the apartment and Eaton began fighting officers. K-9 officer Garcia deployed his partner Logan, which was successful ultimately allowing officers to place Eaton in handcuffs,” the press release reads.

Police say the two were acquaintances. The victim said Eaton had battered her earlier in the week.

He did not live at the apartment and they were not known to be romantically-involved.

“Whatever the case may be, whatever the motive was of this, regardless, he did some significant damage both physically and psychologically to this young lady as well as her children,” Brown said.

When officers took Eaton to the hospital, he was tased after he tried to run, according to police.

Eaton has previous battery convictions from cases by Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Lakeland Police.

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