A Man Tried To Kidnap A Barista Through A Drive-Thru Window & The Video Is Horrifying
He tried to pull her in with a zip tie.
Video of the kidnapping attempt.
A disturbing video captured a drive-thru customer trying to grab a barista through the small window in what police say was an attempted kidnapping.
The incident happened at a Washington State drive-thru in the early hours of January 16.
On Tuesday, police confirmed the suspect had been arrested.
The Auburn Washington Police Department posted the video on Twitter on Monday, asking for help from the public in identifying the man before his arrest.
The video shows the suspect pulling up to the drive-thru window and suddenly grabbing the barista by the arm while she tried to give him something.
After struggling and failing to drag the barista out, the man quickly drives away.
\u201cThe 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.\u201d— Auburn WA Police Dept (@Auburn WA Police Dept) 1673931352
The CCTV footage shows the incident occurred at approximately 5 am.
“The suspect seen here attempted to drag the victim through the window using a looped zip tie device,” said a tweet by the Auburn police. “The victim was able to fight off the attacker.”
The authorities also released close-up images of the man's arm that show he has a tattoo that appears to read "Chevrolet."
\u201cThe 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. \n\nThe suspect has a unique tattoo on his left forearm that appears to read \u201cChevrolet\u201d.\u201d— Auburn WA Police Dept (@Auburn WA Police Dept) 1673931352
A day after the incident, police had arrested the suspect.
Auburn's police public information officer Kolby Crossley told USA TODAY that the man was arrested at his home in Auburn and police searched his pickup where they "found evidence tying him to the scene."
\u201cUPDATE: After overwhelming support from the community, APD has arrested a suspect in this case.\u201d— Auburn WA Police Dept (@Auburn WA Police Dept) 1673982969
Since being released, the video has circulated the internet and a TikTok repost already has close to 10 million views.
Comments under the video called out the suspect for “not thinking” through his plan.
One person wrote, “Just curious what his endgame was with that zip tie. You get it on one hand, then what??”
One user tweeted, “So he was planning on dragging a full grown person out of the drive-thru window and in through his side window, by the arm, past himself and then into the passenger seat, head first, then driving away, while the victim is probably attacking him in self-defence. On security cam.”
“The scariest part is it was 5 am, so she was probably working alone,” wrote another user.
According to USA TODAY, police have not identified the man, but the department says they plan to release more information about the case in the coming days.