Credit: Forsaken Fotos, FlickrA Florida man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman for months has been arrested outside the Walt Disney World Resort after a terrifying high-speed chase by the Florida Highway Patrol led to a serious crash and a K-9 unit being deployed.
Disney World is located just outside the Interstate 4 Highway in Osceola County, one of the major corridors of traffic in Central Florida. While Magic Kingdom may be advertised as one of the most family-friendly places on the planet (despite the frequent accidents, extreme weather events, and hazardous fires), that means that horrific accidents and high-speed pursuits happen on its doorstep distressingly frequently.
Related: Man Arrested at Magic Kingdom After Crime Spree Involving Teenager
In this case, a man named Walter Medina, 48, was arrested by the law enforcement of several different Florida counties on I-4 East, just outside Disney World, after leading deputies on a 100-MPH car chase (per Fox). According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Medina held an unidentified woman captive, “inflicting months of captivity and abuse” on her.
Reportedly, the arrested man met the victim while she was panhandling in the Hillsborough Avenue and Habana Avenue area and initially befriended her with drugs and food. Things quickly turned, and, according to the sheriff’s office, “Medina repeatedly assaulted the victim using a wooden baseball bat and a flathead screwdriver, inflicting severe injuries including, but not limited to, broken ribs, deep puncture wounds, and extensive bruising.
This lasted for an estimated two-and-a-half months while Medina transported the victim around the Tampa Bay area, threatening to kill her if she attempted to flee. Deputies described this as a period of “unimaginable suffering at the hands of Medina” (per ClickOrlando) that lasted until she was briefly left unattended at a pharmacy and managed to seek help. Reports indicate the unidentified woman has since been transported to a local hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol reports an attempted murder suspect in a gold Town & Country van was pursued while traveling on I-4 East from Polk County near Disney World; the chase was joined by deputies with Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office and officers with the Lakeland Police Department. During the pursuit, law enforcement repeatedly attempted a Precision Immobilization Technique Maneuver (PIT) to capture the van without success.
The pursuit reportedly quickly escalated to 100-MPH speeds while the gold van weaved in and out of traffic through heavy traffic; at one point, it collided with another vehicle before exiting on the John Young Parkway. At that point, the suspect ran a red light at high speed and then crashed into a raised concrete median barrier. According to law enforcement, the suspect (later identified as Walter Medina) refused to comply with verbal orders and attempted to reach into his car; a K-9 unit was deployed, and he was placed under arrest.
Related: Man Beaten Up, Arrested After Disgusting Child Incident on Disney Vacation
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, Medina had active warrants related to the torture and abuse of the woman for aggravated battery with great bodily harm and deadly weapon, armed kidnapping harm or terrorizing, armed false imprisonment, attempted murder in the second-degree with a weapon, tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence. He is also facing further charges of charges of reckless driving with damage to a person or property, fleeing to elude law enforcement at high speed, and hit-and-run leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to property.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister stated, “I can’t imagine the torture this victim endured for months, but I can imagine the relief she felt when our deputies arrived. I have to commend the bravery of the victim for escaping her captor and seeking help.”
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.
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