After “unimaginable suffering” an abducted woman’s flight to freedom was captured on video leading to a high-speed pursuit of her suspected kidnapper.
(Video: Fox 13 Tampa Bay)
More than two months of torture came to an end for a victim in Seffner, Florida Monday when her opportunity to escape led her toward refuge in a gas station restroom.
“She was screaming and crying and said, ‘I need help. I need help,’ and she just ran to the bathroom and locked herself in,” Mobil clerk Ashraf Zakhar told Fox 13.
With the victim’s face blurred to protect her identity, video showed her racing from across the street before entering the station’s store and hiding away in the restroom for twenty minutes while law enforcement endeavored to coax her out.
A statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) detailed that the victim had been taken captive in January when the suspected kidnapper, 48-year-old Walter Medina, had allegedly promised the panhandling woman food and drugs only to attack her with a wooden baseball bat and a flathead screwdriver.
“Her face was swollen, black eyes. All her face was beaten up so bad,” detailed Zakhar.
In the release from HCSO, the victim was said to have suffered broken ribs, deep puncture wounds, extensive bruising and more at the hands of the suspect. “Over the course of approximately 2.5 months, the victim endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of Medina as he forcibly transported her around the Tampa Bay area and threatened to kill her if she fled or sought help.”
Said to have been left briefly unattended at Walgreens, the victim saw her opportunity to escape and took it leading to her being transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Slapped with charges of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, Armed Kidnapping, Aggravated Battery with Great Bodily Harm, Armed False Imprisonment, Tampering with a Witness and Tampering with Physical Evidence, Medina was arrested Tuesday after a pursuit by the Lakeland Police Department, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol was said to have reached speeds in excess of 100 mph in a minivan, according to WFLA.
A violent suspect is under arrest after inflicting months of captivity and abuse.
On Monday, April 1, 2024, HCSO deputies were dispatched to a Mobil gas station in Seffner after a caller reported an injured female had just escaped from a van and needed help. pic.twitter.com/iUuPI6hQlp
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) April 2, 2024
A statement from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister expressed, “I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she fled when our deputies arrived. I have to commend the bravery of the victim for escaping her captor and seeking help. Our thoughts are with her as she recovers from this traumatic ordeal.”
“This suspect’s reign of violent terror is now over. I am endlessly grateful for our law enforcement partners who put their lives on the line in service and protection of our community while apprehending this suspect,” he added of the apprehension of Medina. “This joint effort exemplifies the strength of our community’s law enforcement network and our shared commitment to keeping our streets safe.”
HCSO public information officer Amanda Granit detailed to Fox 13 that the suspect had a record of such heinous behavior as the crime that he allegedly committed on the victim, “He’s no stranger to us. The details of this horrific case that we’re talking about this week also appear to be what he’s done in the past.”
The sheriff’s office went on to indicate that Medina had previously served time for False Imprisonment and his arrest record included charges of Robbery, Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and Kidnapping.
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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