A woman kidnapped, held prisoner and tortured for over two months until she made a daring run to safety when his back was turned.
Walter Medina, 48, allegedly abused the woman since he kidnapped her in January, beating her with a baseball bat and stabbing her with a flat-head screwdriver.
When she escaped on Monday, she had bruises and deep puncture wounds all over her body, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said.
“The victim endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of Medina as he forcibly transported her through the Tampa Bay area and threatened to kill her if she fled or sought help,” police said.
Walter Medina, 48, allegedly abused the woman since he kidnapped her in January, beating her with a baseball bat and stabbing her with a flat-head screwdriver.
Surveillance footage shows the woman running down a road and across a parking lot after fleeing a Walgreens.
He ran to a Mobil gas station in Seffner, screamed for help and locked himself in the bathroom for 20 minutes until police arrived.
Finally her chance to escape came when Medina left her alone in a Walgreens for a moment and she ran out of the supermarket.
Surveillance footage shows her running down a highway, through a parking lot and into a Mobil gas station in Seffner, outside Tampa, Florida.
The media was caught on camera driving around the area in his gold Chrysler minivan, looking for her.
Officers arrived to rescue the woman and obtained an arrest warrant for her attacker, who was pursued the next day.
Medina was arrested after a chase with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol on Tuesday.
The 160km/h chase ended when he lost control of the car and crashed into a raised median, then he was arrested with the help of police dogs and taken to hospital under guard.
Police said Media met the woman when she was panhandling on the streets of Tampa in January and was initially friendly and gave her food and drugs.
But then he allegedly became violent and kidnapped her under threat of harming her.
Medina was arrested with the help of police dogs and taken to the hospital under guard.
Medina was incarcerated in the past for false imprisonment and had a criminal record that included kidnapping, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and robbery.
The gas station cashier, Ashraf Zakhar, was on duty when the woman ran through the doors, screamed that she needed help and locked herself in the bathroom.
She remained sheltered there for 20 minutes until the police arrived and Zakhar called to help.
“She was screaming and crying and said, ‘I need help.’ I need help. Her face was swollen and her eyes were black. Her whole face was really bruised,” he said. fox 13.
Medina was charged with attempted second-degree murder, armed kidnapping, armed false imprisonment, aggravated assault causing great bodily harm, tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence.
He was incarcerated in the past for false imprisonment and had a record that included kidnapping, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and robbery.
Medina was arrested after a chase with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol (car chase pictured).
The 160 km/h chase ended when he lost control of the car and crashed into a raised median.
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said the victim endured “months of relentless physical abuse and captivity” but that Medina’s “reign of violent terror” was over.
“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief he felt when our deputies arrived,” he said.
‘I have to praise the bravery of the victim for escaping her captor and seeking help. Our thoughts are with her as she recovers from this traumatic experience.
“I am endlessly grateful for our law enforcement partners who risked their lives in the service and protection of our community while apprehending this suspect.”
The media is behind bars at the Orange County Jail.