Police say a brief greeting at a Cobb County apartment complex was followed by three attempts to strike the woman with a vehicle.

MARIETTA, Ga. — A 21-year-old Georgia man is accused of repeatedly driving a car at a woman exercising at a Cobb County apartment complex after the strangers exchanged a brief morning greeting, forcing her to flee toward her home and eventually hide behind a dumpster while calling 911.

Jesse Allen Davis faces a felony aggravated assault charge and a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge stemming from the July 19 encounter at Sedgefield Apartments in the Marietta area, according to police, jail information and criminal warrants cited in news reports. Authorities allege Davis drove toward the woman three separate times, struck another vehicle during the episode and later crashed into a pole. Police have not announced a motive, and the available records do not establish that Davis and the woman knew each other before that morning. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.

The confrontation began during what the woman described as an ordinary morning exercise session. According to police accounts, she passed Davis while moving through the apartment complex and greeted him with hello and good morning. Cobb County Police Sgt. Eric Smith said the woman did not know Davis. The criminal warrant later described their contact as a brief and polite greeting. The woman continued exercising, while Davis allegedly got into a parked 2004 Nissan Sentra. Authorities have not publicly identified anything else the woman said or did before the alleged driving began, and police have not offered an explanation for why Davis allegedly reacted as he did.

The warrant gives a more detailed account of the first alleged attempt than early reports of the case. Investigators said Davis started the Nissan and intentionally drove directly toward the woman at a high rate of speed. Before the car could reach her, another driver entered Davis’ path, forcing him to stop, according to the warrant. The woman then ran in the direction of her residence. What had begun as a chance encounter in a residential parking area had by then become, according to investigators, a continuing pursuit rather than a single sudden movement by a car.

Authorities allege Davis followed the woman in the Nissan toward the Commons Lane area and drove at her a second time. She escaped onto a sidewalk and took cover behind a dumpster, according to the warrant. At some point during the encounter, she called 911. An audio excerpt reported by Law&Crime captured a dispatcher asking whether she was somewhere safe. The woman replied, “Yes, I’m behind a garbage can.” The difference in descriptions — dumpster in the warrant and garbage can in the 911 exchange — refers to the place where she sought protection while officers were being notified.

Investigators say the danger did not end after she took cover. The warrant alleges that while the woman remained behind the dumpster, Davis yelled profanities, repositioned the car and tried to drive at her a third time. Smith separately told WSB-TV that Davis first attempted to strike her in the parking lot and then made two additional attempts. Authorities have not released the full 911 call, surveillance footage or other evidence that might show the entire sequence. The woman was not publicly identified in the reports reviewed for this story, and officials have not released a detailed account of any injuries she may have suffered.

The alleged driving also involved other people and property at the complex. A separate warrant cited by Fox News says Davis, driving a gray Nissan Sentra, collided with a gray Ford Fusion and did not immediately stop or return to the scene. Neighbor Lloydethan White told WSB-TV that Davis also came close to his vehicle during the commotion. “When I had seen him, he almost hit my car and her,” White said. White said he checked on the woman afterward but did not initially understand the full sequence that police say had just occurred.

White’s account added an outside witness to at least part of the episode, but the criminal case rests on the evidence gathered by investigators and any evidence ultimately presented in court. “I think it’s wrong that a woman has to fear for her life and she’s just trying to go about her normal day and workout,” White told WSB-TV. Police have not said that White witnessed every alleged attempt, and authorities have not released a complete list of witnesses or described whether cameras at the apartment complex recorded the encounter.

Police say Davis left the immediate parking area after the alleged attempts. Smith said officers soon received another 911 report involving the same car, this time after it crashed into a pole nearby. Early coverage of the case noted that Davis’ booking photograph showed cuts on his face, but authorities did not release a medical assessment or say whether those injuries came from the pole crash. Officers arrested Davis and booked him into the Cobb County Jail. The hit-and-run allegation concerns the collision with the other vehicle, while the aggravated assault charge relates to the alleged use of the Nissan against the woman.

The reports about Davis’ bond changed as additional jail information became available. Law&Crime reported on July 30 that Davis had been taken to jail without bond and that no next court date was listed at the time. Later reporting based on jail records listed a total bonding amount of $5,720. Those reports reflect different snapshots of the case, and publicly available coverage reviewed for this article does not establish Davis’ custody status as of Sept. 8. It also does not identify an attorney representing him or provide a later court date, plea or disposition.

The case remains an allegation at this stage. Police have not publicly established a reason for the confrontation, and no evidence reviewed for this article explains why the greeting was allegedly followed by repeated attempts to drive toward the woman. The most detailed public chronology comes from law enforcement statements and criminal warrants cited by news organizations. Any determination of Davis’ criminal responsibility would be made through the court process, where prosecutors would have to prove the charges and Davis would be entitled to contest the state’s evidence.

Author note: Last updated September 8, 2026.