A Long Beach city councilwoman is warning people to stay vigilant in the Downtown area after she was chased by a man with a backpack full of knives outside of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center early Wednesday evening.

District 2 Councilwoman Cindy Allen, who lives in the Aqua Condominiums, said she was walking near the center fountains on the way to her optometrist’s office at the corner of Ocean and Long Beach boulevards around 4:45 p.m. when she saw a man with a knife in his hand and a terrifying look on his face.

As a former Long Beach police officer, Allen said her instincts kicked in.

“As he came towards me I told him, ‘I don’t want any problems, here’s my purse,’ but as I’m looking at him, I’m thinking this guy wants to stab me,” Allen said in an interview Thursday. “I didn’t know if I was gonna get stabbed or in a fight. I just kicked off my heels and ran.”

Allen at the time happened to be on the phone with Long Beach Fire union President Rex Pritchard.

“I said, ‘Rex call 911 I’m being robbed!'” Allen recalled.

Allen said the man chased her for about half a block as she ran back to her condo building entrance. As she was running, she yelled out to a woman who was walking her dog nearby. Both women ran into the Aqua west tower entrance and screamed for the concierge to lock the front door.

At that point, another terrified woman ran up and she was also being chased by the man. As the concierge let her in, the man with the knife was also able to come in, Allen said.

A quick-thinking concierge scooped up a 5-year-old girl who had been in the entrance and fled out a back door, while Allen said she and the others escaped through another exit as Long Beach police arrived.

People were shaken, but nobody was injured, she said. The man was taken into custody and Allen said police later showed her the backpack he was carrying, which contained about 10 knives.

Long Beach Police Department spokesman Brandon Fahey on Thursday said officers attempted to deescalate the situation but the suspect was holding a knife and refused to surrender.

“Officers deployed a moderate force option, arrested the suspect and seized multiple knives,” he wrote in an email.

The suspect, identified as Isaiah Ledell Robinson, 22, of Long Beach, was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a switchblade knife, resisting/obstructing a public officer and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $50,000.

Allen said she was glad she trusted her instincts and immediately ran.

“I’ll tell you, my chubby butt can still run,” she said. “It’s all about taking the path of least resistance.”

While she’s glad everyone in this case is safe, Allen said the incident has left her feeling more uneasy in the Downtown area. A resident since 2006, Allen said she’s seen an uptick in violence and homelessness in recent years and doesn’t feel safe walking the half mile between her home and the evening City Council meetings.

“As women we have to be really vigilant, because things are more dangerous out there,” she said. “I’ve walked this area for years and I have never felt the way I do today.”

Allen said she wants to explore the possibility of adding more police officers in the Downtown area. She said police were quick to respond in her incident, but a stronger overall police presence in the area may help.

For now, she’s hoping her experience can help remind others to always be aware of their surroundings.

“Sometimes we’re busy, we’re on our phones and we’re not paying attention,” she said. “I want to remind people to really be aware of what’s happening around them. Trust your instincts and be safe.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that Allen was on the phone with Rex Pritchard, not Councilman Rex Richardson.