On Monday (Jan.16), an unidentified man attempted to snatch a barista through a drive-thru window in Auburn, Washington. Within a day of releasing the video footage, police officers arrested a suspect.
UPDATE: After overwhelming support from the community, APD has arrested a suspect in this case. https://t.co/OG4z7a5m0T
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
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Auburn police have not released the suspect’s name nor announced any criminal charges. However, in the nine-second clip, the man is seen grabbing the barista’s wrist as they handed him his purchase’s cash change.
As he yanked the victim with his left hand, the man held a “looped zip tie device” in his right hand. He was seemingly attempting to “drag the victim through the window” using the tie, police revealed on Twitter.
But the barista wasn’t going for it–and immediately began attempts to snatch their arm back, dropping the change on the outside floor. The second the barista freed their arm, they closed the drive-thru window. The man hesitated for a second, sitting back in his seat. Then, finally, he starts to drive off but stops to seemingly grab something near the window before speeding off empty-handed.
Who Is The Attempted Drive-Thru Abductor?
According to the surveillance footage, the man appears Caucasian with a stocky build and a low beard. Police identified a tattoo on the man’s left forearm, which says Chevrolet. Ironically, the suspect was also driving a Chevrolet Silverado.
The 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.
The suspect has a unique tattoo on his left forearm that appears to read “Chevrolet”. pic.twitter.com/1AnPHVl339
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
The incident occurred at about 5:06 a.m. local time, per the footage timestamp. On Tuesday (Jan. 17), police arrested their suspect at his Auburn home, per KIRO7-TV. Department spokesperson, Kolby Crossley, said police linked the suspect to the crime scene after discovering evidence during a quick search of his pickup truck.
Police announced the arrest on Twitter at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday. Reports say the barista was alone at the time of the attempted abduction.
Crossley said:
“They are in vulnerable positions because they’re usually controlling those spots by themselves at early hours in the morning when it’s dark outside. But this barista did an awesome job of protecting herself and fighting this person off.”
The suspect could face attempted kidnapping charges after he’s questioned and booked, per KIRO7-TV. Police are also investigating whether this was an isolated incident or a pattern for the suspect.
This story is still developing.
