Caught On Camera: Washington Barista Narrowly Escapes Terrifying Drive-Thru Kidnapping Attempt, Suspect Arrested
Jan. 18 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
A barista in Washington was subjected to horror while working an early morning shift at a coffee stand drive-thru on January 16. The harrowing incident was caught on the store's surveillance footage, capturing the moment that a male customer tried to zip-tie the worker and pull her into his vehicle from the service window, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Through the video and tips from the community, police arrested a suspect believed to be the abductor.
The terrifying drive-thru exchange happened around 5 AM at a coffee stand in Auburn, Washington. Authorities released the video footage in an attempt to help identify the unknown male.
In the footage, the female barista's hands can be seen passing change to the man in his vehicle. In a split second, the customer forcefully grabbed the barista's wrists and began to pull her into his car with one hand, while he tried to zip-tie her with his other.
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Police confirmed the suspect "attempted to drag the victim through the window using a looped zip tie device." Luckily, the barista was able to break free from the man's grip and quickly closed the service window, putting a crucial barrier between herself and her attempted kidnapper.
The camera footage caught not only the barista's quick thinking but a key piece of information that helped identify the suspect. The man's arms were visible in the footage and showed a large and noticeable forearm tattoo. Police believe the customer's ink spelled out "Chevrolet."
Even more disturbing was that the event appeared to be planned, as the tattooed man was prepared with zip-ties for his unsuspecting victim.
After the shocking video was shared by authorities, Auburn police tweeted that due to "overwhelming support from the community, APD has arrested a suspect in this case." The Auburn Police Department's Kolby Crossley described the attempted abduction as "very alarming" to local news station Fox 13.
"By the video you can tell he put some thought into this plan that he was conducting, y'know, obviously he had the zip tie, he grabbed the arm," Crossley stated.
The barista, who had worked at the coffee stand for 15 years, was able to walk away from the event with only minor scrapes on her arms. Nonetheless, the store's owner said the ordeal had shaken up their entire staff.