ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - An attempted robbery and kidnapping was captured on surveillance video in front of a Walmart in Central Florida.
The incident happened Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart near South Goldenrod Road and Market Place Drive.
A woman was unloading her groceries in the trunk of her car when the culprit, identified as Juan Perez, set his sights on her.
He confronted the woman, demanded her purse, and held a knife to her throat. He then attempted to stick the woman in the trunk of her car, but a bystander intervened, forcing Perez to flee the scene.
Retired Orange County Deputy Jamie Copenhaver said that attackers look for vulnerabilities.
“How many times have we seen someone step up and actually do the right thing and end up becoming the victim themselves?” said Copenhaver. “So once again, see something, do something in this case, right? He didn’t call the police, he did something and we don’t know what would have happened if he wouldn’t have stepped in. But thank goodness this person was nearby and was alerted to this, and was heads up and saw that there was a problem taking place. Especially this guy being armed.”
Perez was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, nearly 20 hours after the attack, on charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, and destruction of evidence.
Orlando police said Perez was on federal probation related to a previous kidnapping charge, however details on that case were not immediately known and have yet to be made public.
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