Terrifying Security Video Shows Woman Fleeing Alleged Florida Kidnapper in Parking Lot
NEED TO KNOW
- A surveillance video shows a man dragging a woman by the neck and trying to force her into a pickup truck in a Florida parking lot
- The suspect fled after a bystander helped the victim, who was heard in the footage screaming for help
- Theodore Michael Tundidor, 31, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, robbery and other crimes
A terrifying surveillance video captured the moment a woman escaped an alleged kidnapper in a Florida parking lot.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office posted the shocking 30-second video on Facebook on Tuesday, July 15, showing a man dragging a woman by the neck and trying to force her into a pickup truck as she pleads for help. (The video contains graphic content.)
After the man gets the truck door open, the woman continues to scream for help and struggles to fight off the man, eventually managing to break free. The man is then seen chasing after her before the video ends.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called to the scene around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 29, after a 911 caller reported that a man was attempting to force a woman inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a business in St. Augustine.
“Deputies learned the male suspect committed a robbery inside the business, then forcefully removed a female employee from the store, and dragged her outside, where he began to push her into his vehicle,” the Facebook post reads.
The sheriff’s office said the woman “attracted the attention of a nearby citizen who came to her aid and called SJSO as the suspect abandoned his kidnapping attempt and fled.”
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Facebook
The suspect, identified as Theodore Michael Tundidor, was captured by Florida Fish and Wildlife officers after being seen driving recklessly near Marineland Dolphin Adventure along state road A1A, per the post.
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Tundidor, 31, has been charged with kidnapping, robbery, and grand theft auto, the sheriff’s office said. He’s also facing additional charges of driving under the influence and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
“The victim in this situation did everything right — scream/yell, fight, attract attention,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
