A bystander heroically saved a woman from being kidnapped as a man forced her into the trunk of a car in the parking lot of an Orlando Walmart.
A woman had been shopping for groceries at the Walmart near South Goldenrod Road and Market Place Drive in southeast Orlando just north of the airport. When she got back to her vehicle and began putting groceries in her trunk, an "unidentified man came up from behind her and started grabbing her black purse ," an affidavit obtained by WESH 2 said.
The woman reportedly resisted the man's efforts until he pulled out a knife and started threatening to hurt her, putting the blade up to her throat and telling her, per the affidavit, "If you keep this up, I'll slice your throat."
Then, the suspect, who was later identified as Juan Perez, 54, wrapped his arms around the woman and attempted to shove her into the trunk of her vehicle, the police told the station.
During the ordeal, the woman's purse strap broke. Around the same time, a bystander attempted to intervene to assist the victim, and when Perez saw the bystander approaching, he released her and took off with her purse, the police told FOX 35 . It contained her phone, wallet, driver's license, insurance card, gift cards, $60 in cash and a $125 check, the affidavit obtained by WESH 2 read.
Surveillance cameras from the liquor store next to the Walmart — in front of which the woman had parked — captured the entire ordeal. Officers collected the evidence and then quickly determined that it had been Perez who allegedly assaulted and attempted to kidnap the woman.
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Perez was reportedly on federal probation for a previous kidnapping charge, WESH 2 reported, and as a result, he wears an active GPS monitor. Not only did the surveillance footage capture him in the act, but the GPS data from that monitor placed him at the scene of the crime when it occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, using that ankle monitor, the police were able to track down Perez and arrest him. He faces attempted kidnapping, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, battery and destruction of evidence charges.
Retired Orange County sheriff's deputy Jamie Copenhaver discussed the ordeal with FOX 35 and cautioned the public to be more cautious, especially when unloading groceries into the trunk of a car .
"Once you start to unload those groceries and goods into the trunk of a car , you have a blind spot," he told the outlet. "The only thing you're looking at is that trunk, and you're concentrating on hurrying up and getting it loaded up and getting home."
"We're all in a hurry, but take a moment and pause ... to look at who may be standing near you. Have an exit plan," he concluded. It's not clear when Perez is scheduled to appear in court to face the charges.
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