A woman who was told to call her boyfriend during a sexual assault instead contacted 911 - a decision that authorities in Georgia say helped police track down the suspect and stop the attack.

Robert Giles, 27, was charged in connection with Monday's incident, according to a news release from police in Clayton County, Ga.

Authorities believe Giles wanted his victim's boyfriend to listen as he attacked her, the release states.

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Instead of calling her boyfriend, police say the woman called 911, where an emergency dispatcher managed to play the part. The dispatcher pretended that the woman had done as she was told, and sent police to the scene, WSB-TV reported.

"(It was) the most extreme call of my career," the 911 operator, Deonte Smith, told WSB-TV.

Officers who responded were able to "quickly place Giles under arrest," according to the release. Giles was stopped "mid-act," Sgt. Ashanti Marbury told The Washington Post in an email.

"It was quick thinking on his behalf. In fact, (it) might have saved her life," Clayton County Police Maj. Joe Woodall told WSB.

Smith, a senior Clayton County 911 operator, told WSB that he'd like to get in touch with the victim from the case.

"I would like to meet you in person. I really want to," he said. "I'm thankful for your quick thinking."

The station reports:

"He also says she got some help from above because if she had called a few seconds later, he would have been on break.

" 'Honestly I'd say divine intervention,' Smith said. 'I was the only guy on the floor that night. The other guy we had had just left not too long before the call came in.'"

Giles faces rape, obstruction and false imprisonment charges, according to the release. A lawyer has not yet been assigned to the case, the public defender's office said Wednesday.