Police in Florida have arrested a “violent” man accused of “inflicting months of captivity and abuse” on a woman before she managed to escape while her captor was shopping at Walgreens, according to a Tuesday news release.
Walter Medina, 48, was arrested after a 911 call reported an injured woman had “just escaped from a van and needed help” near a gas station outside Tampa.
Police learned that the woman had been held prisoner for about two-and-a-half months, during which time Medina transported her around the Tampa area and threatened to kill her if she fled. She was repeatedly beaten with a wooden baseball bat and a flathead screwdriver, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office writes.
By the time the woman was rescued, she had suffered severe injuries, including broken ribs, deep puncture wounds and extensive bruising.
Medina allegedly met the victim in January while she was panhandling around the Wellswood neighbourhood of Tampa. Initially, he gave her food and narcotics, police write, before his “actions turned violent.”
The woman found her opportunity to escape when Medina briefly left her alone while he was shopping at Walgreens. She escaped the van she was being held in, fled to a nearby gas station and was found by police, who took her to a local hospital.
“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “I have to commend the bravery of the victim for escaping her captor and seeking help. Our thoughts are with her as she recovers from this traumatic ordeal.”
Medina was arrested a day after the woman was rescued following a car chase with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakeland Police Department, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Photos released by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office show state trooper vehicles surrounding a beige Chrysler Town & Country van, which is partially on the curb.
Another photo showed Medina in a grey tank top and white-and-black sweat pants being detained by authorities on what appears to be a stretcher.
Medina has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, armed kidnapping, armed false imprisonment, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence.
“This suspect’s reign of violent terror is now over,” said Sheriff Chronister.
Medina has an extensive criminal background that includes a prior prison sentence for false imprisonment and arrests for kidnapping, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, and robbery.
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