Harrowing, newly released surveillance footage captures the moment a Florida woman makes her escape after months of captivity and abuse, hiding and begging for help inside a Tampa gas station.
"She was screaming and crying and said 'I need help. I need help.' She just ran to the bathroom and locked herself in," gas station clerk Ashraf Zakhar told WTVT. "Her face was swollen, black eyes. Her whole face was beat up so bad."
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, hid inside the Mobil gas station bathroom for nearly 20 minutes on April 1, before first responders were able to coax her out. She was then taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for the injuries she sustained over two months of captivity.
Authorities say that the woman was first approached by alleged kidnapper Walter Medina while she was panhandling in January. Medina offered the woman food and drugs before he allegedly began to abuse her, according to authorities.
"That relationship quickly disintegrated when it turned violent," said Amanda Granit, spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, according to WESH.
"Walter Medina took her captive, held her against her will. Began physically beating her. So badly so that he caused multiple broken bones, and bruises on her body. He was beating her at times with a baseball bat, at times with a screwdriver."
Medina has two previous convictions for false imprisonment, one in the 1990s and another in 2010.
"He's no stranger to us," said Granit. "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 victim was able to make her escape while the suspect was shopping inside a nearby Walgreens. Police were initially unable to locate the suspect but discovered his vehicle the following day.
He allegedly led police on a high-speed pursuit before crashing into a concrete median. He was taken from the scene via stretcher.
Medina is currently being held on charges of second-degree attempted murder, armed kidnapping, armed false imprisonment, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, tampering with a witness, and tampering with physical evidence.
