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Surveillance footage captures someone trying to abduct barista through drive-thru window
Haunting surveillance footage has revealed a barista narrowly escaping being kidnapped by a man who tried to drag her through a drive-thru window.
As reported by the Auburn Police Department, the disturbing incident took place on Monday (January 16) at around 5:00 AM at a coffee shop located in the 2200 block of Auburn Way in Auburn, Washington.
In the harrowing video shared by authorities, the female barista gives a male customer driving an SUV what appeared to be some change, but instead of taking the money, the man grabs hold of her hand and forcefully pulls it toward him.
The suspect then "attempted to drag the victim through the window using a looped zip tie device" but the woman thankfully managed to pull her arm back into the window and close it. The customer then drove off.
The cops shared a follow-up tweet pleading for help in finding the unidentified man, highlighting that he had a "unique" and distinctive tattoo on his left forearm that appears to read "Chevrolet".
Later, Auburn police announced on their social media that they had arrested the suspect at his home on Tuesday (January 17) after "overwhelming support from the community".
According to ABC News, the department spokesperson said that law enforcement received "numerous" tips leading them to the man who has now been hit with a kidnapping charge.
"Multiple people called in saying they knew the person and were able to give a name," Crossley said. "Obviously we had such great evidence," he added, stating that the man's ink and side profile were captured in the video clip.
Crossley also described the abduction attempt to Fox 13 and said: "By the video, you can tell he put some thought into this plan that he was conducting, you know, obviously he had the zip tie, he grabbed the arm.
"So it's very concerning, it's very alarming, and it's something that we're trying to figure out quick so we can get this guy into custody so he's not a threat to the community," he added.
According to him, the police also discovered evidence in the suspect's vehicle "linking him to the crime," but that has not been disclosed yet. Also, it's unclear if the arrested man and victim knew each other.
The owner of the business where the alarming incident took place told KOMO News that the barista who escaped the kidnapping attempt - and was not injured in the incident - has worked at the place for 15 years.
The suspect has not been publicly identified. He is scheduled to have his first court appearance Wednesday morning (January 18), which is when the police plan to release his name, per ABC News.