Walter Medina is accused of holding a woman captive for more than two months and beating her with a baseball bat and flathead screwdriver, Florida cops say. (Hillsborough County Sheriff)
Cops in Florida have arrested a man who allegedly held a woman captive for more than two months and beat her with a wooden baseball bat and flathead screwdriver.
Walter Medina, 48, picked up the woman, who was panhandling in the area of Hillsborough Avenue and Habana Avenue in the Tampa area, in January. Initially Medina provided the victim with food and drugs, but the ordeal soon turned violent and terrifying, cops say. Medina subjected the woman to “months of relentless physical abuse and captivity,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Medina allegedly assaulted her with a wooden baseball bat and flathead screwdriver, leaving her with broken ribs, deep puncture wounds, and extensive bruising. Cops say during the two-and-a-half months in captivity, 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 woman took advantage of a chance to escape on Monday when Medina “briefly” left her alone at a Walgreens in Seffner, which is west of Tampa. She ran to a nearby gas station and asked for help. Cops noticed her injuries on her face and throughout her body and took her to the hospital.
“I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived,” Hillsborough County 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.”
Police on Tuesday spotted Medina’s minivan on Interstate 4 in Lakeland and they tried to pull him over but he allegedly took off. Cops from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakeland Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol pursued Medina as he wove in and out of traffic at upward of 100 mph.
More on Law&Crime: Young mom who messaged family for help during kidnapping was tortured and murdered, police say
The highway patrol said in a press release that troopers tried to disable the minivan but were unsuccessful. Medina collided with a vehicle as he exited the highway and then ran a red light, troopers said. He tried to make a right turn onto a street but hit a raised median, disabling his van. Cops then took him into custody with the help of a police dog.
He’s facing charges of attempted second-degree murder, armed kidnapping, armed false imprisonment, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence. Medina is also charged with fleeing and eluding. He previously served time in prison for false imprisonment and has been arrested for kidnapping, armed assault on a law enforcement officer and robbery.
“This suspect’s reign of violent terror is now over,” Chronister said.
Medina is in the Orange County Jail without bond.
