Police in Auburn, Washington, have arrested a man suspected of trying to kidnap a barista at the drive-thru window of an unidentified coffee shop.
The scary incident occurred at 5 am yesterday. Surveillance footage captured a man waiting at the window in a pickup truck. As the barista hands back his change, he grabs her wrist, trying to pull her into his vehicle using a looped zip tie.
The Auburn Police Department is asking for any information to help identify a suspect that attempted to abduct a barista during the early morning hours of 1/16/2023. pic.twitter.com/w8qzJQs5ZA
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
Luckily, the barista was able to fend off the attacker and shut the drive-thru window, causing the man to speed away.
Police make an arrest
Police released a video of the attempted abduction asking for help identifying the suspect. One early lead was a tattoo on the man’s left forearm caught on video. Police tweeted a photo writing that the marking appears to read “Chevrolet.”
The suspect seen here attempted to drag the victim through the window using a looped ziptie device. The victim was able to fight off the attacker.
The suspect has a unique tattoo on his left forearm that appears to read “Chevrolet”. pic.twitter.com/1AnPHVl339
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
After receiving a large number of tips, police captured a suspect earlier this afternoon.
UPDATE: After overwhelming support from the community, APD has arrested a suspect in this case. https://t.co/OG4z7a5m0T
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
The barista, who had worked at the coffee shop for 15 years, was working alone at the time of the incident. She suffered minor cuts, a police spokesperson told The Seattle Times.
At press time, police would not identify where the incident happened.