Should Women Carry Mace with Them At all Times?

Mace or pepper spray would have, at best, disoriented the guy for a minute or two. Depending upon how well the door was blocked, that probably wouldn't have been enough time to make good an escape. A TASER or stun gun might have bought you a little more time, but not if you couldn't make contact. And as I understand things in LA County, the sheriff and most of the city police chiefs won't issue concealed weapons permits to anybody except the well-connected. So, you're probably goosed.