A kidnapped woman from Florida, who had been subjected to months of horrific abuse, made a bold getaway from her crazed abductor, who was later captured.
Kidnapped woman makes great escape
The victim, whose identity has been withheld, managed to free herself from Walter Medina, 48, by fleeing his vehicle and seeking refuge in a gas station in Seffner on Monday.
She told the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office that she encountered Medina while panhandlin in Tampa in January, who initially charmed and disarmed her with sustenance and narcotics.
However, Medina’s demeanor rapidly became alarming, and the woman reportedly discovered herself imprisoned, subjected to extensive periods of violence and torment at his hands.
“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,” the sheriff’s office remarked in a statement.
Medina is accused of inflicting violence on her with items such as a baseball bat that broke several of her ribs and causing puncture wounds with a screwdriver, alongside other forms of physical harm.
After months of abuse, the kidnapped woman’s opportunity for escape came about on Monday, when Medina purportedly left her alone in his vehicle as he stepped into a Walgreens store.
That’s when she fled on foot into a nearby gas station, from where police were called.
When deputies arrived on scene, they observed that her face and body were covered in evidence of Medina’s alleged abuse.
“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister commented.
He commended the victim for the “bravery” required to escape a captor that had such a hold on her and seeking help.
“Our thoughts are with her as she recovers from this traumatic ordeal,” he added.
Kidnapped woman safe, but captor flees
Medina managed to escape from law enforcement once he realized that the woman he had long held captive had fled. However, it didn’t take long for them to catch up with him.
On Tuesday, troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol spotted Medina driving on an interstate in the same Chrysler minivan from which the woman had identified as his vehicle.
He didn’t make it easy for them to make the arrest and forced a high speed chase in the middle of congested traffic.
His evasive driving required multiple police agencies to participate in the chase, which saw him speeding at over 100 mph on the shoulder at one point.
“While continuing to flee law enforcement, the driver failed to maintain a single lane and weaved between other vehicles using both shoulders of the roadway,” Florida Highway Patrol stated.
Medina’s downfall ultimately came when he took an off-ramp and ran through a stoplight.
He ended up totaling his car when he hit a median at a high speed.
Despite likely being injured in the collision, Medina disregarded officers’ orders to reveal his hands and instead seemed to reach for an item inside his vehicle.
In response, law enforcement deployed a police canine named Rico, who was able to subdue him with a bite that was just as fierce as his bark.
Multiple counts were filed against Medina after his arrest, which included “armed kidnapping harm or terrorizing, attempted murder in the second degree, and armed false imprisonment.”
Medina’s record includes prior incarcerations related to kidnapping and false imprisonment charges.
According to WESH, he was wheelchair-bound when he appeared in front of a judge in Orange County on Wednesday.
One charge was set at a $15,000 bond, while the judge stayed counts two and three.
Though the judge noted that even if he was able to bond out, Hillsborough County had a hold on him and would likely take him into custody.
