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A woman from Florida managed to escape from a man who had kept her as a torture victim for several months. The man, identified as Walter Medina, 48, was later arrested by the police after a high-speed chase in the state.
According to reports, the woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, fled from Walter Medina and sought refuge at a gas station in Seffner on Monday. She had reportedly endured months of suffering while being held captive by him.
The woman claimed that she had initially met Walter Medina while panhandling in Tampa in January. Allegedly, he allured her with food and drugs, as stated by the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office.
But Medina’s behavior turned frightening, and the woman found herself allegedly trapped as he beat and tortured her for over two months, according to officials.
“The victim endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of Medina as he forcibly transported her around the Tampa Bay area and threatened to kill her if she fled or sought help,” the sheriff’s office said.
Medina allegedly beat her with a baseball bat and broke numerous ribs, and left her with puncture wounds from a screwdriver, among other injuries.
She finally managed to escape Monday when Medina allegedly left her in his car while he went in to a Walgreens. When officers responded to the call about her, they noted she had bruises across her face and body.
“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
“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.”
The following day, Florida Highway Patrol Troopers said they caught up with Medina on Interstate 4 in the same Chrysler minivan the woman escaped from. He allegedly put the pedal to the metal through busy traffic.
Medina swerved in and out of traffic as squad cars from multiple police agencies chased him down, and at one point he sped down the left shoulder at over 100 mph, cops said.
“While continuing to flee law enforcement, the driver failed to maintain a single lane and weaved between other vehicles using both shoulders of the roadway,” FHP said.
Medina fisped down an exit, through a red light, and crashed into a median — wrecking his car, officials said.
After refusing to show his hands to officers Medina allegedly reached for something in his car, and police unleashed a K-9 named Rico who took him down with a hefty bite.
Medina was hit with numerous charges, including armed kidnapping harm or terrorizing, attempted murder in the second degree, and armed false imprisonment.
He has previously been spent time in jail for charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment.
